Betty Ford wasn’t born a First Lady (well, of course she wasn’t!), and in fact didn’t even meet Gerald Ford until she was 30 years old and divorced from her first husband. All of these photos are from when she was still young Betty Bloomer before she married and I thought it was just lovely to see her looking so young and different!
Above: Photograph of Betty Bloomer, Age 3
Betty Ford (when she was Betty Bloomer) aged 20
Betty Ford aged 14
Photograph of Betty Bloomer Catching a Ball at a House Party in Ottawa Beach, Michigan in 1934 aged 16
Photograph of Betty Bloomer at the Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1935 aged 17
Photograph of Betty Bloomer and Mary Snapp in “Scenes from Scaramouche” at the Annual May Dance, Calla Travis School of Dance, Grand Rapids, Michigan 1936 (aged 18)
1938, Betty aged 19
Portrait of Betty Bloomer from a Grand Rapids Herald Newspaper Clipping 1937
Photograph of High School Senior Betty Bloomer, Age 18, That Appeared in the Grand Rapids Central High School Yearbook 1936
Image source and copyright: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code.