On this day, Sept. 8, in 1974, President Ford, who assumed office after President Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal, pardoned his predecessor for any crimes he might of committed while in office. In a national broadcast, Ford said the pardon served the interests of the country.
“It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it,” Ford said. “I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.”
Ford’s popularity immediately plummeted, but in 2001, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation awarded Ford its Profile in Courage Award.
–Scott McCabe
