<Tr> <Th> Battles / wars </Th> <Td> World War II </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Awards </Th> <Td> American Campaign Medal Asiatic - Pacific Campaign Medal (9 campaign stars) World War II Victory </Td> </Tr> <P> Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr; July 14, 1913--December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th President of the United States from August 1974 to January 1977 . Before his accession to the presidency, he served as the 40th Vice President of the United States from December 1973 to August 1974 . Ford is the only person to have served as both vice president and president without being elected to either office . His 895 day - long presidency is the shortest in U.S. history for any president who did not die in office . </P> <P> Ford was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and attended the University of Michigan and Yale Law School . After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, serving from 1942 to 1946; he left as a lieutenant commander . Ford began his political career in 1949 as the U.S. Representative from Michigan's 5th congressional district . He served in this capacity for 25 years, the final nine of them as the House Minority Leader . Following the resignation of Spiro Agnew, he was the first person appointed to the vice presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment . After the resignation of Richard Nixon, Ford automatically assumed the presidency . </P>

Who was the only us president that was never elected either president or vice president