Gerald Ford won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1948, and he served in the House until 1973 when he became President Richard Nixon’s vice president. During his early years he became friendly with both Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. He admired Nixon’s debating talents. He nearly became Nixon’s running mate when Nixon ran for president against Kennedy in 1960. President Johnson later appointed Ford to serve on the Warren Commission investigating the circumstances of Kennedy’s assassination.