Downton White House: our continuing series looking at the Ford administration through materials related to Dorothy Downton, President Ford’s personal secretary.



When the White House received detailed questions about President Ford’s personal preferences they were often sent to Dorothy Downton for answers. She received this inquiry from Judy O’Neil in the Press Secretary’s Office on March 5, 1975.



Bob Gatty, a writer for Washingtonian magazine, had called to ask for information for an article on pipe smoking. President Ford habitually smoked his pipe during meetings with his advisers and while working alone, and kept a pipe rack at his desk in the Oval Office. Downton gave the list to President Ford, who personally wrote out the answers to Gatty’s questions:

What brand of tobacco does the President smoke? Field and Stream Walnut, occasionally others. How many pipes does the President have? 35 What kind are they? wide variety How long has he smoked a pipe, and why? Since 1944, when I started on board U.S.S. Monterey (CVL 26) while we were in the Pacific during WWII.



Dorothy Downton made this copy of the memorandum for her files and returned the original to O’Neil. Her note at the bottom shows how quickly she took care of this request; although she had been asked to respond by March 10 she gave the answers to Judy on March 5, the same day she received the questions.

Images: Memorandum from Judy O’Neil to Dorothy Downton, 3/5/1975, from the Dorothy Downton Files, Box 3, folder “Correspondence (3)”; President Gerald R. Ford Working in the White House Oval Office, 8/12/1976 (the top of his pipe rack is visible at the bottom right).

