Ford Pardon Sealed Watergate Shut

On a September Sunday in 1974, President Gerald Ford told the nation it was time to "shut and seal this book" of Watergate by pardoning his predecessor, Richard Nixon. Ford's stunning announcement may also have sealed his political fate, since the nation's only president never elected to nationwide office - a Republican - lost the 1976 election to Democrat Jimmy Carter. Many said the unpopular pardon was a cause of Ford's defeat. But years later, Ford's act of conscience was viewed differently.

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