The 38th president of the U.S. died last month at age 93.

On December 26, 2006, Gerald Ford died at the age of 93. He was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1976. His term in office was a very unusual one -- Ford is the only president in history to never have been elected to the post of president or vice president. In this story, we will look at Gerald Ford's life and his fascinating political career.

In 1913, a boy named Leslie Lynch King, Jr., was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother and father separated when he was only 16 days old, and his mother moved back to her home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. When she remarried in 1916, she renamed her son after her new husband -- he was now known as Gerald Rudolff Ford, Jr.

He became an Eagle Scout and football star in high school. As a center and a linebacker, Ford earned a full scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to two national championships in 1932 and 1933. He was offered contracts from two different professional football teams, but turned them down and went to Yale Law School instead. Would you have made this choice? Why or why not?

Ford served bravely in World War Two. After the war, he married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren, known as Betty, and started becoming involved in politics as a Republican. In 1948, voters in the Grand Rapids area elected him to the U.S. House of Representatives.