Former US President Ford stands by as former first lady Betty Ford prepares to cut the birthday cake at a dedication ceremony for the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds' Independence Arch and Constitution Fountain in this handout photograph taken on September 19, 1975 and obtained on July 8, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

PRAISE FROM OBAMA, GEORGE W. BUSH

President Barack Obama praised Ford's courage and compassion.

"As our nation's first lady, she was a powerful advocate for women's health and women's rights," he said in a statement. "After leaving the White House, Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-needed treatment."

Former President George W. Bush described her as a valued friend who "made countless contributions to our country."

Ford remained an active chairman of the center's board of directors for decades and also worked to help handicapped children, the arts and the fights against AIDS and arthritis.

For most of her adult life, Ford was best known as the wife of Rep. Gerald Ford, a Michigan Republican, and the mother of four children. The couple had planned to retire from Congress in 1973 when Nixon, already under fire in the Watergate scandal, chose Ford to serve as vice president after the resignation of Spiro Agnew.

Ford became president after Nixon resigned on Aug. 9, 1974, but he was defeated when he ran for the presidency in 1976 by Democrat Jimmy Carter. Betty delivered her husband's concession speech because he had lost his voice on the campaign trail.

Born April 8, 1918, in Chicago, Elizabeth Bloomer was raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She wanted to be a dancer and studied under Martha Graham and modeled in New York before returning to Grand Rapids and marrying a furniture salesman. They divorced after five years and she married Ford in 1948.

In her later years, Betty Ford slipped from the public eye but returned when her husband of 58 years died in 2006. Her stately demeanor in time of grief brought her to the attention of a whole new generation that possibly knew her name only from the famous clinic.

President Gerald Ford and his wife Betty Ford read a petition, signed by all 100 members of the United States Senate, following the first lady抯 breast cancer surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, in this handout photo taken on October 2, 1974 and released on July 8, 2011.