What was Gerald Fords name before he changed it?
He was born Leslie Lynch King Jr.
The future 38th President of the United States was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on July 14, 1913. After his mother remarried, he was legally renamed Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., adopting the surname of his stepfather and the middle name Rudolph that would define his public identity.
Birth name and name change
Adoption into the Ford family
Key facts about the birth name and the change that shaped his public identity are listed below.
- Birth name: Leslie Lynch King Jr.
- Born July 14, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska
- Mother: Dorothy A. King
- Stepfather: Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr.
- Legal name after the change: Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (adopting the stepfather's surname and middle name)
- Publicly known as Gerald Ford for the rest of his life, including his presidency
These changes created the personal name he used publicly and professionally, culminating in his presidency as Gerald Ford.
Context and impact
The renaming aligned him with a family identity that he carried into his education, career, and public service. The middle name Rudolph, derived from his stepfather, became a distinctive part of his presidential identity.
Summary
Birth name: Leslie Lynch King Jr.; later renamed Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. after his mother's marriage to Gerald Rudolph Ford Sr. The name Ford became his lifelong public identity.
