During the presidency of Gerald Ford,
Background
what state dinners are
Hosting of state dinner of King Hussein of Jordan (March 12, 1974) while vice president
how Ford became president
General aspects of dinners
Despite the brevity of Ford’s presidency (roughly two and a half years), he hosted a large number of state dinners. The 33 state dinners held during his presidency is the fifth most of any U.S. presidency
.[1] The first of these came only a week into Ford’s presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974.[1][2]
During their final year in the White House, the Fords hosted eleven state dinners. This large number of state dinners was, in part, due to great interest from foreign dignitaries in visiting the United States for a state dinner amid the United States Bicentennial celebrations. Ford made the decision that year to erect a tent in the White House Rose Garden to host dinners outside. For state dinners held using this tent, the receptions, entertainment, and dancing portions of the evenings were still held inside of the White House.[2]
As Ford launched his candidacy for the the 1976 presidential election, the hosting of state dinners became an aspect of his campaign’s “Rose Garden strategy“.
_______rose garden strategy
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Of the state dinners the Fords hosted, Betty Ford remarked,
From the beginning, Jerry and I tried to make the White House a place where people could have fun and enjoy themselves. Most of all we wanted the state dinners to express the very best about America, particularly during the bicentennial year.[2]
The Fords chose to invite eclectic array of guests to their state dinners, including notable celebrities from the entertainment industry. The Fords’ children often also attended the dinners they hosted.[2] Beginning with the first state dinner that she arranged as first lady, Betty Ford revived dancing as an activity of White House state dinners. The Nixons had previously removed dancing from the state dinners during their time in the White House.[2] At the state dinners of the Ford presidency, the president and first lady always led off the dancing, and dancing often lasted beyond midnight.[2] _________ betty ford’s history with dance____
White House support staff preparing food (October 2, 1975)
During the Ford presidency, Henry Haller was White House executive chef. Haller served as executive chef from 1966 until 1987, oversseeing the menus of more than 250 state dinners during his tenure including those of the Ford presidency.[3] Dishes that the Fords particularly liked serving at their state dinners included wild rice,[1][4] Columbia River salmon, soufflé, and flambé. The state dinners that Ford planned as first lady made a deliberate effort to showcase American ingredients.[1] By late 1974, Ford had shifted to exclusively serving wine that was American-cultivated at state dinners. The November 12, 1974 state dinner for Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky saw the first instance in which a wine from the Fords’ home state of Michigan was served at a White House state dinner, with wine from the Tabor Hill Winery being served. It was not until 2016, during the presidency of Barack Obama, that a Michigan wine would again be served at a White House state dinner.[1]
general attire
gowns worn by Betty Ford
social secretary
1974
King Hussein of Jordan (August 16, 1974)
The first state dinner of the Ford presidency came only a week into Ford’s presidency, hosting King Hussein of Jordan on August 16, 1974.[1][2] Once she became first lady, it fell to Betty Ford to arrange this already-scheduled dinner.[6][7] She found out of this upcoming dinner and her responsibility for planning it through a phone call she received within 24-hours after her husband’s swearing-in as president.[8] As previously mentioned, the Fords had hosted a state dinner for King Hussein months earlier, during Gerald Ford’s vice presidency, on March 12, 1974, after president Nixon asked then-Vice President Ford to take over for him in hosting a planned dinner for the King.[1][9]
President Ford saw the dinner as an opportunity for the First Lady to _____ https://fordlibrarymuseum.tumblr.com/post/55009222731/king-hussein-president-ford-queen-alia-and-mrs/amp
info about dinner
The meal was immediately followed by dancing, with music provided by the Howard Devron Orchestra.[10] This marked a return of dancing at state dinners, as dancing had been removed from state dinners during Nixon’s presidency.[2]
portrayal on TV show “The First Lady”
https://www.wpbstv.org/new-10-part-series-the-first-lady-premieres-on-wpbs-tv-october-11-2024/
Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel (September 12, 1974)
| Course | Food | Wine/spirits |
|---|---|---|
| Entrée | ||
| Main course | ||
| Desert |
Giovanni Leone, president of Italy (September 25, 1974)
Receiving line in the East Room
President Leone speaks during the dinner
| Course | Food | Wine/spirits |
|---|---|---|
| Entrée | ||
| Main course | ||
| Desert |
Edward Gierek, de facto leader of Poland (October 8, 1974)
Cooks and support staff working in the State Floor Kitchen during the dinner
Bruno Kreisky, chancellor of Austria (November 12, 1974)
Pierre Trudeau, prime minister of Canada (December 4, 1974)
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Guests at the president’s table
Helmut Schmidt, chancellor of West Germany (December 5, 1974)
1975
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, prime minister of Pakistan (February 5, 1975)
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Guests seated in the East Room to watch the entertainment
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Dress worn by Betty Ford
Harold Wilson, prime minister of the United Kingdom (January 30, 1975)
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In a toast to Wilson during the dinner, Ford remarked, In a toast to Wilson at a January 1975 state dinner, Ford remarked,
It gives me a very great deal of pleasure to welcome you again to the United States. You are no stranger, of course, to this city and to this house. Your visits here over the years as a staunch ally and a steadfast friend are continuing evidence of the excellence of the ties between our countries and our people.
You, Mr. Prime Minister, are the honored leader of one of America’s truest allies and oldest friends. Any student of American history and American culture knows how significant is our common heritage. We have actually continued to share a wonderful common history
Americans can never forget how the very roots of our democratic political system and of our concepts of liberty and government are to be found in Britain. Over the years, Britain and the United States have stood together as trusting friends and allies to defend the cause of freedom on a worldwide basis. Today, the North Atlantic Alliance remains the cornerstone of our common defense.[12]
Kenneth Kaunda, president of Zambia (April 19, 1975)
King Hussein of Jordan (April 29, 1975)
On April 29, 1975,
Hédi Amara Nouira, prime minister of Tunisia (May 1, 1975)
Lee Kuan Yew, prime minister of Singapore (May 8, 1975)
Joop den Uyl, prime minister of the Netherlands (May 14, 1975)
Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran (May 15, 1975)
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Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel (June 11, 1975)
previously in 1974
Walter Scheel, president of West Germany (June 16, 1975)
chancellor had been hosted months earlier
Takeo Miki, prime minister of Japan (August 5, 1975)
File:Photograph of President Gerald R. Ford Delivering a Toast at a State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister Takeo Miki of Japan – NARA – 7839943.jpg
Alfonso López Michelsen, president of Columbia (September 25, 1975)
In the weeks that preceded the dinner, Ford had survived two assassination attempts. One on September 5 while visiting Sacramento, California; and another on September 22 while visiting San Francisco, California.
Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako of Japan (October 2, 1975)
prime minister had been hosted in August
Anwar Sadat, president of Egypt (October 27, 1975)
Dress worn by Betty Ford during the dinner
Betty Ford dancing during the state dinner
Gaston Thorn, prime minister of Luxembourg (November 12, 1975)
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1976
https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/visit/library/white-house-state-dinners-1974-76/1976-state-dinners
Yitzhak Rabin, prime minister of Israel (January 27, 1976)
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The Fords and the Rabins pose in the Cross Hall after a post-meal guest reception
Dress worn by Betty Ford
Overseeing preparations, Betty Ford joins decorator Danya Pelzman and sculptor Malcolm Moran in inspecting decorations in the State Dinning Room
Previous state dinners for Rabin had been hosted by the Fords both in 1974 and 1975.
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/betty-ford-dances-the-hora
Liam Cosgrave, taoiseach of Ireland (March 17, 1976)
King Hussein of Jordan (March 30, 1976)
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, president of France (May 17, 1976)
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https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2014/02/13/state-dinners-at-the-white-house/
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain (June 2, 1976)
| Course | Food | Wine/spirits |
|---|---|---|
| Entrée | ||
| Main course | ||
| Desert |
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of the United Kingdom (July 7, 1976)
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prime minister Wilson had been hosted in January 1975
This was among the most notable state dinners that the Fords hosted. The dinner was held to coincide with the American bicentennial celebrations. Much of the dinner was held in tent on the South Lawn.[15][16]
https://geraldrfordfoundation.org/betty-ford-timeline/
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/examples-of-state-dinners-throughout-history
| Course | Food | Wine/spirits |
|---|---|---|
| Entrée | filet pompano meunière with fleurons | |
| Main course | roast rack of lamb; new potatoes with parsley; spinach with tangerines; watercress and endive salad; tislit cheese
Tilsit Cheese |
|
| Desert |
Helmut Schmidt, chancellor of West Germany (July 15, 1976)
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A previous state dinner for Schmidt had previously been hosted by the Ford on December 5, 1974. Additionally, the Ford’s had held a state dinner for the West German president on June 16, 1975
Malcolm Fraser, prime minister of Australia (July 27, 1976)
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Urho Kekkonen, president of Finland (August 3, 1976)
William Tolbert, president of Liberia (September 21, 1976)
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Giuilo Andreotti, prime minister of Italy (December 6, 1976)
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held after Ford’s election loss the previous month
president Giovanni Leone had previously had a state dinner hosted by Ford in September 1974
Legacy
https://www.devoslearningcenter.org/betty-ford-patch
See also
External links
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Hickey, C. K. (February 16, 2019). “All the Presidents’ Meals”. Foreign Policy. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Colacello, Bob (11 May 2010). “The White House’s Dinner Theater”. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b “Program for the State Dinner Honoring Prime Minister of Pakistan”. White House Historical Association. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
- ^ Jaime, Fuller (February 11, 2014). “That time FDR served hot dogs to the king, and three other strange state dinner facts”. Washington Post. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ “Frankie Welch”. White House Historical Association. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
- ^ “Betty Ford Biography”. www.firstladies.org. National First Ladies’ Library. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Harold (10 July 2011). “Betty Ford obituary”. The Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Gutgold, Nichola; Hobgood, Linda (1 January 2004). “A Certain Comfort: Betty Ford as First Lady”. Inventing a Voice: The Rhetoric of American First Ladies of the Twentieth Century: 325–340. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- ^ “Hussein Assured on U.S. Peace Efforts”. The New York Times. 13 March 1974. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ “Event outline Jordan 8/16/1974” (PDF). Gerald Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ “Menu Jordan 8/16/1974” (PDF). Gerald Ford Presidential Library & Museum. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ Ford, Gerald (January 30, 1975). Toast (Speech). State Dinner. White House (Washington, D.C.). Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ ___ https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/exhibits/dinners/19760330pro.pdf
- ^ ___ https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/sites/default/files/pdf_documents/library/exhibits/dinners/19760330me.pdf
- ^ “Notable State Dinners at the White House”. www.whitehousehistory.org. White House Historical Association. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Silver, Alexandra (19 January 2011). “Top 10 Memorable State-Dinner Moments – TIME”. Time. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
