Ex-President Ford gets pacemaker

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Former President Ford received a cardiac pacemaker Monday at the Mayo Clinic, a top aide said.

Ford, 93, was resting comfortably after the operation, and his wife and children were with him, according to a statement issued Monday afternoon by Penny Circle, his chief of staff.

Ford was expected to continue to recuperate at the clinic for several days. The pacemaker is designed to enhance his heart's performance.

He was admitted Aug. 15 for tests and evaluation. At the time, neither the clinic nor his chief of staff would comment in detail on his condition.

Ford spent a few days in Colorado's Vail Valley Medical Center last month because of shortness of breath. In January, he was hospitalized for 12 days in Rancho Mirage, Calif., to treat pneumonia. Five years ago, Ford suffered two small strokes and spent about a week in a hospital.

Ford became the nation's oldest living former president after the death of Ronald Reagan in 2004.

Ford was House minority leader when President Nixon chose him to replace Spiro Agnew, who resigned, as vice president in 1973.

Ford became president on Aug. 9, 1974, when Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal.

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On the Net:

Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Gerald Ford Presidential Library: http://www.ford.utexas.edu/