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President Ford rekindled trust, David Mathews recalls
The 38th president, 93, died at his home in California Dec. 26. Dr. David Mathews, speaking by cell phone last Friday as he drove back to his Dayton, Ohio home after spending the Christmas holidays in Alabama, said he and his wife, Mary, planned to attend the State Funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The funeral was held Tuesday and mourners included President George W. Bush and many other U.S. and world leaders. Unelected VP and president Ford, a Michigan congressman, was tapped by President Nixon in 1973 to be vice president after the incumbent, Spiro Agnew, resigned when he was charged with the crime of tax evasion.
A year after that, in August 1975, Ford would tap Mathews, then 40 and president of the University of Alabama, to serve as Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, one of the largest departments in government at the time, employing over 128,000 people with a budget of $150 billion. Mathews would serve for the remainder of Ford's term, leaving office in January 1977 when Jimmy Carter became president after having defeated Ford's bid for a full term in the 1976 general election. Acted in nation's best interest Mathews said Ford was unpopular for many of the stands he took, including his pardon of Nixon for any crimes he may have committed. But, Mathews added, "he always acted independently and did what he thought was in the best interest of the country, whether it was popular or not." Mathews cited an example connected with HEW. He said in the 1970s there were new discoveries dealing with DNA and genetics that offered major breakthroughs for cancer research and other health related issues. "President Ford stood solidly with the scientific community on that," despite the discoveries being unpopular in some quarters, Mathews said. A pragmatic president "He was very independent minded and he was loyal to his party [the Republican Party] but I never recall him being ideological about it. He was very pragmatic and he knew the limits of partisanship." Mathews, a historian and president and CEO of the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, a research institute that studies social and political issues related to democracy, said partisanship and strict ideology dominates both political parties today, to the detriment of the country. Greatest legacy Mathews said Ford, while a longtime congressman and part of the Washington political scene, always considered himself a "man of Main Street and a Main Street president" and said he was determined after Watergate to "give the country back to the people." That, he said, may have been Ford's greatest legacy to the country. Mathews said Nixon's secretive White House and the Watergate scandal had provoked a real distrust of government. "The Washington political system was very defensive after Watergate and public confidence dropped to an all time low. However, President Ford was not defensive at all and made a special effort to reconnect" to the people. Mathews observed that there is a "serious gap and a dangerous tone" in the system today, similar to the 1970s. An accessible president Mathews said Ford was very accessible during his presidency and said he spoke frequently with him during his time at HEW. "You could call him up day or night. I tried not to abuse the privilege but I had no trouble getting to him. It was sometimes to his staff's dismay but he didn't want to be walled off from people." The historian Mathews said he thought history would be kind to his former boss. "I consider David Mathews the right person for this very important job." President Ford Aug. 8, 1975 Here is a portion of President Gerald R. Ford's comments at the swearing-in ceremony for Dr. David Mathews to be Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare on August 8, 1975 at the HEW headquarters in Washington, D. C. Mathews succeeded Caspar Weinberger in the post. Ford's remarks were found on the Internet this week. "In Sunday's Washington Post, I read an article about David Mathews, and in this one piece alone he was described as innovative, captivating, exceptional, persuasive, gifted, and brilliant, and a man of Presidential stature. [Laughter] "Nevertheless- [laughter]- I have still come here today to swear David Mathews in as the new Secretary of HEW. "In the past, many Cabinet members have come to the White House for ceremonies similar to this. But I feel very strongly it is important for a President to see as much as he can of the people he serves and of the workers in Government agencies who serve the people. And that is one of the reasons I am here today." "Actually, it is my second visit here as President. I was here nearly a year ago- less than two weeks after I was sworn in- to sign the Education Amendments of 1974, in keeping with my personal philosophy favoring appropriate Federal assistance to education. "As Secretary of HEW, David Mathews will be filling a most important job and a big pair of shoes. His swearing in will add another first-class officer to a Cabinet of first-class men and women. "He moves into a big job, one of the most important in Government. HEW will spend an estimated $150 billion in the fiscal year and through the transitional quarter. "It has a staff of more than 128,000 men and women. The decisions and actions of this vital department of our Government affect the lives of every man, woman, and child in the United States. HEW has a major influence on the education Americans receive, on their health care, and on the entire range of social services. "I consider David Mathews the right person for this very important job. He is young, but is an accomplished thinker and leader, a man who understands both concepts and action, ideas and implementation. "Since 1969 he has served as an outstanding president of the University of Alabama, one of our Nation's great State universities. And at the same time, he has been an effective writer and leader in a wide range of civic activities. "Dr. Mathews brings to this new mission the strength of youth, a sense of purpose, the skills of a scholar, and the trusted record of a successful leader and administrator. That is an impressive inventory by any standard.
"I am confident that his achievements will speak for themselves in the months and years ahead. I look forward to working closely with Dr. Mathews, as I have with my good friend, Cap Weinberger, to whom we all wish the very best."
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