Gerald Ford, who died on 26 December, 2006, at the age of 93, was the first and only American president never to win a national election.

Mr Ford gained his position as President on August 9, 1974, in the aftermath of the “Watergate” scandal, which resulted in then-US President, Richard Nixon , resigning.

As the Vice-President, he assumed control of the country when President Nixon stepped down under the terms of the 25th Amendment.

His period in office lasted two and a half years, at which point he lost the Presidency in a narrow election defeat to Democrat Jimmy Carter.

Leslie Lynch King Jr. was born on 14 July, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska, but following his parents divorce, his mother re-married a man by the name of Gerald Ford, whose name he adopted.

A fine American footballer, he turned down a number of contract offers from professional teams to study law at Yale Law School, where he paid his way coaching American football and boxing.

At the outbreak of World War II Ford volunteered for the US Navy and served for nearly four years, 18 months of which were aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Monterey, in the South Pacific.

On leaving the navy he joined a large law firm, but was soon convinced by his father to run for Congress.

Mr Ford served as the Republican congressman for Grand Rapids for 25 years, at which point he became an active member of the Chowder and Marching Club, a congressional group that supported Richard Nixon.

After securing the position of Republican leader in the House, he worked hard to ensure that he kept his enemies to a minimum to guarantee support in the future.

Following the resignation of Spiro Agnew in 1973, President Nixon, an old friend, nominated him as Vice-President.

Upon succeeding President Nixon following the “Watergate” scandal, he inherited a nation in turmoil, dogged by high inflation, huge unemployment and a serious energy shortage, as well as the shock of having had its President removed from office.

Despite ending the war in Vietnam, he spent much of his time in office fighting an element of his own party known as the “New Right” and also survived two assassination attempts.

Upon leaving office he said that he hoped he would be remembered as the man who left the country in a better state than it was in when he found it, and in 1999 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest honour.

Out of office, he remained active in politics and was briefly touted as a potential Vice-President to Ronald Reagan , whilst also supporting affirmative action, believing it showed "the notion of America as a work in progress".

Mr Ford died from a heart attack at his home in Rancho Mirage, California and was survived by his wife, Betty and his four children Michael, John, Steven and Susan.