History Happy Hour - "Mom – Are We Really Moving to the White House?"

History Happy Hour is a weekly virtual program hosted by the White House Historical Association. Join us as experts weigh in on a variety of historical topics, share their insights, answer audience questions, and enjoy presidential-inspired libations.

In August 1974, Susan Ford Bales was seventeen years old and moving into the White House with her parents, President Gerald Ford and First Lady Betty Ford. In a span of a year her father had gone from House Minority Leader to Vice President to President.

Susan's mother, Betty Ford, was a beloved and rather hip First Lady. The New York Times described Ford as "a product and symbol of the cultural and political times — doing the Bump dance along the corridors of the White House, donning a mood ring, and chatting on her CB radio with the handle First Mama."

Enjoy this conversation between Susan Ford Bales and former ABC News White House Correspondent Ann Compton. They discussed the impact and legacy of Mrs. Ford and what it was like for Susan to live at the world's most famous address.