Jerald terHorst

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Jerald Franklin terHorst (born July 11, 1922 in Grand Rapids , Michigan , † March 31, 2010 in Asheville , North Carolina ) was an American journalist who acted as press secretary and spokesman for US President Gerald Ford on September 8, 1974 a month in protest against the amnesty of whose predecessor Richard Nixon resigned because of the Watergate affair .

Life

After attending school, he began studying at Michigan State University , which he interrupted because of his military service in the US Marine Corps during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He then continued his studies at the University of Michigan , where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in 1947 . In addition, he became a reporter at the Grand Rapids Press in 1946 , before he served again in the Marine Corps from 1951 to 1952 during the Korean War . After returning from the war he was in 1953 first reporter for the daily newspaper The Detroit News , where he was most recently head of the office in Washington, DC and columnist .

As such, he had accompanied the political career of longtime Michigan Congressman Gerald Ford. When Ford after the resignation of Spiro Agnew on December 6, 1973, first vice president and then after the resignation of Richard Nixon because of the Watergate scandal was finally on August 9, 1974, US President, appointed Ford to the esteemed journalists to his press secretary. The appointment of terHorst was the first appointment during Ford's presidency.

During the next four weeks, terHorst attended White House staff meetings, led by Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld , and held daily press conferences . When Ford declared on September 8, 1974 that “Nixon and his loved ones have suffered enough and will continue to suffer no matter what I (Ford) do, no matter what we, as a great and good nation, can do together to achieve this goal of To make peace come true ”and Ford, with one stroke of his pen, granted Nixon a“ full, free and absolute amnesty ”for all crimes that he“ committed or perhaps committed ”during his presidency, terHorst, as the press secretary of the White House, protested back after being up most of the night composing a resignation letter of just three paragraphs. In his resignation letter he stated the following:

Letter of resignation from terHorst
“Without a doubt, this is the toughest decision I've ever had to make. I cannot find words to adequately express my respect and admiration for you during our many years of friendship and my belief that you can heal the wounds and serve our country at this most critical time in our nation's history. Nor can words convey my appreciation for serving on your staff during the early stages of your presidency and for the trust and faith you have shown me in this regard. The press office was fundamentally professionalized. His employees, starting with Deputy Press Secretary John H. Hushen, are competent, committed and loyal employees who tirelessly contribute their time and skills. "
“So it is with great regret, after a long soul search, that I inform you that I cannot in good conscience support your decision to grant amnesty to former President Nixon before he is charged with the commission of crimes. As your spokesman, I do not know how to defend this act in the absence of a similar decision granting absolute amnesty to young men who conscientiously refuse service in the Vietnam War and in the absence of an amnesty for former associates and allies of Mr Nixon, whom Crimes are charged - and who are incarcerated - over the same Watergate situation. These are also men whose reputations and families have also been seriously injured. If you try like me, it is impossible to conclude that the former president deserves more mercy than those in subordinate positions in life whose crimes had far less effect on our national well-being. "
“It is with a heavy heart that I declare that I am stepping down as Press Secretary to the President with effect from today. Nevertheless, my prayers are with you. "

He was reviled by some for his conscientious decision, while others saw him as the last honorable man in politics. His successor as press secretary was then Ron Nessen .

TerHorst then resumed his work as a columnist for the Detroit News and worked there until 1981. He was also a Ford spokesman for some time and a member of the National Press Foundation's advisory board . In addition to a biography of Gerald Ford entitled Gerald Ford and the Future of the Presidency , he wrote a non-fiction book about the US President's aircraft entitled Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One .

In his honor, the Graduate School of Political Management and the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University also present the annual Jerald F. terHorst Award as a distinction for outstanding political reporting.

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personal data
SURNAME TerHorst, Jerald
ALTERNATIVE NAMES TerHorst, Jerald Franklin (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American journalist, White House spokesman
DATE OF BIRTH July 11, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Grand Rapids , Michigan
DATE OF DEATH March 31, 2010
Place of death Asheville , North Carolina