President Ford nears age record

Gerald R. Ford is closing in on a record held by Ronald Reagan -- living longer than any other U.S. president.

Ford, who turned 93 on July 14, will become the oldest president Sunday by living to 93 years and 121 days.

“The length of one’s days matters less than the love of one’s family and friends,” Ford said in a statement from the Rancho Mirage compound he shares with former First Lady Betty Ford, 88.

Ford was president from Aug. 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned, until January 1977. He has suffered a variety of health problems in recent years, including undergoing heart procedures at the Mayo Clinic in August.

“He’s doing very well. He’s still recuperating,” said Ford’s chief of staff, Penny Circle.

In the statement released by Circle, the former president said: “I thank God for the gift of every sunrise and, even more, for all the years he has blessed me with Betty and the children, with our extended family and the friends of a lifetime.”

Ford, a longtime Michigan congressman, was House minority leader when Nixon chose him as vice president to replace Spiro Agnew in 1973. Ford became president the following year when Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal. Ford, a Republican, is the only president in U.S. history never elected as either president or vice president. He served as president nearly 2 1/2 years, losing to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976.