President Gerald Ford with son Jack and daughter Susan, the White House, Nov. 3, 1976

"The morning after the election of 1976, President Ford, who had lost his voice in the last days of the campaign, listens as Mrs. Ford speaks for him. The press room was jammed, and I remember thinking how brave and dignified the Ford family was. Questions from the press focused almost instantly on whether and just how much Ford's pardon of Nixon had affected the outcome of the election." -- Diana Walker

"It hurt deeply to witness the disappointment and regret my husband suffered due to his loss. It was hard to hold back the tears as I spoke -- but we as a family knew we must stand tall and congratulate Governor Carter and his family and the country for a just and fair election." -- Betty Ford

"The reaction of the public to my pardon of Nixon was worse than I anticipated, I have to be honest. But I never wavered. I think today, even more than I did then, it was the right thing to do. People said, 'Why didn't you wait until he was indicted, or wait until he was convicted?' 'Why didn't you wait until the Supreme Court decided whatever it would decide?' That would have meant for the next two years the issue of a possible pardon would still be the press's interest, and we had to get that off the agenda and work on more important problems affecting the economy." -- Gerald Ford