The Jerald F. terHorst papers consist of clippings, correspondence, speeches, audiotapes, and video related to terHorst, Detroit News reporter and President Gerald Ford's press secretary. Topics in this collection include his early life (particularly as a member of the Marine Corps), his work as a member of the Detroit News and White House, and other efforts (such as producing documentaries) that occurred after officially resigning as President Ford's press secretary in 1974.
Jerald F. terHorst was born on July 11, 1922 in Grand Rapids, MI. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1947. After serving in the Marine Corps during World War II, he worked as a reporter for the Grand Rapids Press and the Detroit News. He started as a local political reporter covering Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids, but was eventually promoted to Washington Bureau Chief for the Detroit News in 1961.
Jerald F. terHorst was appointed as White House Press Secretary by President Ford in August of 1974, following Richard Nixon's resignation. He served for a month before resigning in protest as a matter of conscience following the President's pardon of Nixon, who had never been charged with commission of a crime. TerHorst felt strongly that, in the United States, no one person is above the law. As he writes in his letter of resignation, he would be troubled by having to defend President Ford's action when Nixon's aides and Vietnam War draft evaders, who were charged with crimes and even imprisoned, were not afforded a similar pardon. Reflecting later about his resignation, terHorst offered additional reasons, including his presumed lack of credibility with the press after having denied the possibility of a pardon in the weeks leading up to September 8, 1974.
Following his resignation he returned to the Detroit News as a national affairs columnist. In 1981, he joined Ford Motor Company as their director of public affairs in Washington. He also served on the Advisory Council for the National Press Foundation and as a Gridiron Foundation President and Chairman.
Since 1974, terHorst has participated in many public lectures and roundtables to discuss the pardon of Richard Nixon and his resignation as White House Press Secretary, including appearances on Washington Week and NPR's All Things Considered. He also authored a monograph Gerald Ford and the Future of the Presidency (1974) and co-authored with Ralph Albertazzie The Flying White House: The Story of Air Force One (1979). TerHorst also was involved in production and was interviewed for two documentaries on the history of Air Force One: Air Force One: the Planes and the Presidents (Elliott Sluhan Productions, 1984) and Air Force One: Flight II, the Planes and the Presidents (Elliott Sluhan Productions, 1991).
TerHorst passed away on March 31, 2010 in North Carolina.
