Former US first lady Betty Ford dies at 93

Ford, a self-proclaimed “ordinary” woman who never cared for political life but made a liberating adventure out of her 30 months as first lady, died yesterday at age 93.

“I decided that if the White House was our fate,” she once said of Gerald Ford's brief presidency, “I might as well have a good time doing it.”

To the surprise of some and the consternation of others, Ms. Ford evolved as an activist first lady whose non-threatening manner coupled with her newfound celebrity provided the women's movement with an impressive ally. Undaunted by critics, she campaigned for ratification of the ill-starred Equal Rights Amendment, championed liberalized abortion laws and lobbied her husband to name more women to policymaking government jobs.

In 1978, she disclosed that her use of alcohol and mood-altering prescription drugs had become a serious dependency.

In what she has described as a painful "intervention" when her family confronted her with her problem, she agreed to enter the drug and alcohol rehabilitation program at Long Beach Naval Hospital. Of that experience came the momentum to establish the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, a live-in treatment program for alcoholics and drug abusers.