President Gerald Ford Writes About His Admiration of Abraham Lincoln

“I’m a Ford, not a Lincoln” the 38th President famously said of himself - though that he might have liked it to be otherwise, is suggested in this letter. Lincoln, he declares, is the person he admires most.
 
I admire him because of his honesty, integrity and utmost dedication to the American people. He was a man of reason and a man of hope. President Lincoln acknowledged the grave flaw of our first 87 years of existence – slavery, and made the first positive steps towards changing it. Abraham Lincoln rekindled the pride in America.
 
Every president since Lincoln has looked to him as a model, that they too might, by virtue of their honesty, integrity and dedication, make Americans proud. That simple standard, however, has proven surprisingly high.

Typed Letter Signed (“Jerry Ford”), 1 page, quarto, on his personal letterhead embossed with the presidential seal, no place, March 13, 1978. To Raymond Lawing.