"They flew over together," says Carter historian Douglas Brinkley. "And Nixon had to break the ice. There was frostiness between Ford and Carter. And it was Richard Nixon who was the jovial one ...

Nixon — Mr. Ford as the vice president who succeeded Mr. Nixon when he resigned in 1974, and Mr. Carter as the Democrat who rode public outrage at the Watergate scandal to victory in 1976.

Gerald Ford was president before Carter, having taken office after the impeachment and resignation of Richard Nixon. Ford lost the 1976 presidential election to Carter, but the two eventually ...