Final plans were being drafted on Wednesday for a national farewell to former U.S. president Gerald Ford, one day after he died at 93 at his home in Rancho Mirage, some 200 kilometers east of Los Angeles.

Ford became the 38th president of the United States in 1974 following Richard Nixon's resignation because of the Watergate scandal. The cause of his death was not released.

Details regarding a national farewell to the man who sought to restore American people's confidence in the presidency following the Watergate scandal are expected to be announced by his Palm Desert, California office later in the day.

Funeral services are planned for Washington, D.C., and Grand Rapids, Michigan, his boyhood home, while public viewings will be held in Washington, Grand Rapids and Palm Desert, according to his office.

A Republican, Ford succeeded to the presidency on August 9, 1974 when Nixon resigned. He had been appointed to the vice presidency by Nixon in October 1973, two days after Spiro T. Agnew was forced to resign because of financial irregularities.

During his presidency, Ford survived two assassination attempts, both in California.

On September 5, 1975, a young woman named Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme aimed a .45-caliber pistol at Ford in state capital Sacramento, but the weapon misfired when a Secret Service agent grabbed her arm.

Then, on September 22, Sara Jane Moore fired a shot at Ford as he emerged from the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, but a retired Marine who saw her raise the gun struck her arm, and again, Ford escaped injury.

Ford, the only man to serve as a U.S. president who was neither elected president nor vice president, was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election. He moved to California after leaving office.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a statement praised Ford as "a man whose integrity, strength of character and commitment to this nation distinguished him as one of our most selfless leaders."

Ford became the longest living president last month, surpassing the previous record held by Ronald Reagan. That record now belongs to President George H.W. Bush.

Source: Xinhua