Wendell Ford

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Wendell Ford
Alan Simpson
Succeeded byHarry Reid
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995
LeaderGeorge J. Mitchell
Preceded byAlan Cranston
Succeeded byTrent Lott
United States Senator
from Kentucky
In office
December 28, 1974 – January 3, 1999
Preceded byMarlow Cook
Succeeded byJim Bunning
53rd Governor of Kentucky
In office
December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974
LieutenantJulian Carroll
Preceded byLouie Nunn
Succeeded byJulian Carroll
45th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
In office
December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971
GovernorLouie Nunn
Preceded byHarry Lee Waterfield
Succeeded byJulian Carroll
Member of the Kentucky Senate
from the 8th district
In office
January 1, 1966 – December 12, 1967
Preceded byCasper Gardner
Succeeded byDelbert S. Murphy
Personal details
Born
Wendell Hampton Ford

(1924-09-08)September 8, 1924
Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedJanuary 22, 2015(2015-01-22) (aged 90)
Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting placeRosehill Elmwood Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Ruby Jean Neel
​
(m. 1943)​
Children2
World War II Victory Medal
Wendell Ford's voice
Wendell Ford explains his vote against
NAFTA

Recorded November 20, 1993

Wendell Hampton Ford (September 8, 1924 – January 22, 2015) was an American politician from

Senate Democratic whip from 1991 to 1999, and was considered the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election as governor in 1971 until he retired from the Senate in 1999.[2] At the time of his retirement he was the longest-serving senator in Kentucky's history, a mark which was then surpassed by Mitch McConnell
in 2009. He is the most recent Democrat to have served as a Senator from the state of Kentucky.

Born in

Louie B. Nunn. Four years later, Ford defeated Combs in an upset in the Democratic primary
en route to the governorship.

As governor, Ford made the government more efficient by reorganizing and consolidating some departments in the executive branch. He raised revenue for the state through a

Christopher Dodd
. He retired from the Senate in 1999 and returned to Owensboro, where he taught politics to youth at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History.

Early life

Wendell Ford was born near

Earle C. Clements.[2] Ford obtained his early education in the public schools of Daviess County and graduated from Daviess County High School.[5] From 1942 to 1943, he attended the University of Kentucky.[3]

On September 18, 1943, Ford married Ruby Jean Neel (1924 - living) of Owensboro at the home of the bride's parents.[6] The couple had two children. Daughter Shirley (Ford) Dexter was born in 1950 and son Steven Ford was born in 1954.[2][6] The family attended First Baptist Church in Owensboro.[6]

In 1944, Ford left the University of Kentucky to join the

World War II Victory Medal and earned the Expert Infantryman Badge and Good Conduct Medal.[7] He was honorably discharged on June 18, 1946.[4]

Following the war, Ford returned home to work with his father in the family insurance business, and graduated from the Maryland School of Insurance in 1947.

First Lieutenant of Armor, he transferred to the inactive Guard in 1956, before being discharged in 1962.[7]

Political career

Ford was very active in civic affairs, becoming the first Kentuckian to serve as president of the

majority leader and a major obstacle to Breathitt's progressive legislative agenda.[2] Ford won the 1965 election by only 305 votes but quickly became a key player in the state senate.[2] Representing the Eighth District, including Daviess and Hancock counties, Ford introduced 22 major pieces of legislation that became law during his single term in the senate.[4]

In 1967, Ford ran for

Louie B. Nunn.[2] Republicans and Democrats split the state offices, with five going to Republicans and four going to Democrats.[4]

During his time as lieutenant governor, Ford rebuilt the state's Democratic

Walter Huddleston and Governor Martha Layne Collins.[2] When Governor Nunn asked the legislature to increase the state sales tax in 1968 from 3 percent to 5 percent, Ford opposed the measure, saying it should only pass if food and medicine were exempted.[2] Ford lost this battle; the increase passed without exemptions.[2] From 1970 to 1971, Ford was a member of the executive committee of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.[8] While lieutenant governor, he became an honorary member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity in 1969.[9]

Governor of Kentucky

At the expiration of his term as lieutenant governor, Ford was one of eight candidates to enter the 1971 Democratic gubernatorial primary.[4] The favorite of the field was Ford's mentor, Combs.[4] During the campaign, Ford attacked Combs on the grounds of age and the sales tax enacted during Combs' administration.[10] He also questioned why Combs would leave his better-paying federal judgeship to run for a second term as governor.[10] Ford garnered more votes than Combs and the other six candidates combined, and attributed his unlikely win over Combs in the primary to superior strategy and Combs' underestimation of his candidacy.[2][4] Following the election, Combs correctly predicted "This is the end of the road for me politically."[10]

A man in his fifties, with thinning black hair, sitting at a desk, face-forward, wearing a suit
Former governor Happy Chandler ran against Ford in the 1971 gubernatorial election.

Ford went on to win the governorship in a four-way general election that included another former Democratic governor,

independent.[4] Ford finished more than 58,000 votes ahead of his closest rival, Republican Tom Emberton.[4] With Combs and Chandler both out of politics, factionalism in the Kentucky Democratic Party began to wane.[10]

As governor, Ford raised revenue from a

Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center.[2] He also shepherded a package of reforms to the state's criminal justice system through the first legislative session of his term.[2]

Ford oversaw the transition of the

Council on Higher Education.[5] He vetoed a measure that would have allowed collective bargaining for teachers.[5]

Ford drew praise for his attention to the mundane task of improving the efficiency and organization of executive departments, creating several "super cabinets" under which many departments were consolidated.[5][11] During the 1972 legislative session, he created the Department of Finance and Administration, combining the functions of the Kentucky Program Development Office and the Department of Finance.[11] Constitutional limits sometimes prevented him from combining like functions, but Ford made the reorganization a top priority and realized some savings to the state.[11]

On March 21, 1972, the

latest census figures and ratification of the recently passed Equal Rights Amendment.[15] All of these measures passed.[16]

Despite surgery for a brain

Robert Schwarz Strauss, he helped Strauss get elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee following McGovern's defeat.[2] As a result of his involvement in Strauss's election, Ford was elected chair of the Democratic Governors' Conference from 1973 to 1974.[8] He also served as vice-chair of the Conference's Natural Resources and Environmental Management Committee.[11]

During the 1974 legislative session, Ford proposed a six-year study of coal liquefaction and gasification in response to the 1973 oil crisis.[5] He also increased funding to human resources and continued his reorganization of the executive branch, creating cabinets for transportation, development, education and the arts, human resources, consumer protection and regulation, safety and justice.[11] He was considered less ruthless than previous governors in firing state officials hired by the previous administration, and expanded the state merit system to cover some previously exempt state workers.[16] Despite the expansion, he was criticized for the replacements he made, particularly that of the state personnel commissioner appointed during the Nunn administration.[16] Critics also cited the fact that employees found qualified by the merit examination were still required to obtain political clearance before they were hired.[16]

A man in his late forties with wavy black hair, facing left, wearing a suit and tie
Walter Dee Huddleston, Ford's campaign manager, was elected to the Senate in 1972.

Ford united the state's Democratic Party, allowing them to capture a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1972 for the first time since 1956.[4] The seat was vacated by the retirement of Republican John Sherman Cooper and won by Ford's campaign manager, Walter Dee Huddleston.[10] Ford's friends then began lobbying him to try and unseat Kentucky's other Republican senator, one-term legislator Marlow Cook.[2] Ford wanted lieutenant governor Julian Carroll, who had run on an informal slate with Combs in the 1971 primary, to run for Cook's seat, but Carroll already had his eye on the governor's chair.[2] Ford's allies did not have a gubernatorial candidate stronger than Carroll, and when a poll showed that Ford was the only Democrat who could defeat Cook, he agreed to run, announcing his candidacy immediately following the 1974 legislative session.[2]

A primary issue during the election was the construction of a dam on the

election, Ford defeated Cook by a vote of 399,406 to 328,982, completing his revitalization of the state's Democratic party by personally ousting the last Republican from major office.[2] Cook resigned his seat in December so that Ford would have a higher standing in seniority in the Senate.[17] Ford resigned as governor to accept the seat, leaving the governorship to Carroll, who dropped state support for the project, killing it.[4]

In the wake of the rapid ascent of Ford and members of his faction to the state's major political offices, he and Carroll were investigated in a corruption probe.

competitive bidding.[16] State law did not require competitive bidding, and earlier governors had engaged in similar practices.[16] Investigators believed there was an arrangement in which insurance companies getting government contracts split commissions with party officials, although Ford was suspected of allowing the practice for political benefit rather than personal financial gain.[18] In 1981, prosecutors asked for indictments against Ford and Carroll on racketeering charges, but a grand jury refused.[2] Because grand jury proceedings are secret, what exactly occurred has never been publicly revealed.[2] However, state Republicans maintained that Ford took the Fifth Amendment while on the stand, invoking his right against self-incrimination.[2] Ford refused to confirm or deny this report.[2] A federal grand jury recommended that Ford be indicted in connection with the insurance scheme, but the U.S. Department of Justice did not act on this recommendation.[19]

United States Senate

Ford entered the Senate in 1974 and was reelected in 1980, 1986 and 1992.

1992, surrendering 477,002 votes to Ford (63 percent).[24]

Ford seriously considered leaving the Senate and running for governor again in 1983 and 1991, but decided against it both times.

Democratic Senate whip as factors in his decision not to run for governor.[25]

Early in his career, Ford supported a

desegregation busing.[2] He also floated a proposal to put the federal budget on a two-year cycle, believing too much time was spent annually on budget wrangling.[26] This idea, based on the model used in the Kentucky state budget, was never implemented.[26] During the Ninety-fifth Congress (1977–1979), he was chairman of the Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences.[3]

From 1977 to 1983, Ford was a member of the

Christopher Dodd for majority leader.[2]

A graying man in his fifties wearing a black suit, facing right
Kit Bond and Ford formed the Senate National Guard Caucus in 1989.

During the

Sonny Montgomery with the National Guard Association and the National Guard Bureau.[28] Ford co-chaired the caucus with Bond until Ford's retirement from the Senate in 1999.[28] The Kentucky Army Guard dedicated the Wendell H. Ford Training Center in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky in 1998.[29] In 1999, the National Guard Bureau presented Ford with the Sonny Montgomery Award, its highest honor.[30]

Missouri senator

Agriculture Committee and protected programs that benefited tobacco farmers.[31] Both were instrumental in salvaging the Tobacco Price Support Program.[2][31] Ford got tobacco exempted from the Consumer Product Safety Act and was a consistent opponent of cigarette tax increases.[2] He sponsored an amendment to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade that limited the amount of foreign tobacco that could be imported by the United States.[26]

Later in his career, Ford split with Huddleston's successor, Mitch McConnell, over a proposed settlement of lawsuits against tobacco companies.[2] Ford favored the package as presented to Congress, which would have protected the price support program, while McConnell favored a smaller aid package to tobacco farmers and an end to the price support program.[2] Both proposals were ultimately defeated, and the rift between Ford and McConnell never healed.[2]

As chairman of the Commerce Committee's aviation subcommittee, Ford secured funds to improve the airports in

aircraft noise, improving airline safety measures, and requiring airlines to better inform consumers about their performance was dubbed the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century.[2][26]

Of his career in the Senate, Ford said "I wasn't interested in national issues. I was interested in Kentucky issues."

inaugural committee in 1993, Ford broke with the administration by voting against the North American Free Trade Agreement .[2][32]

As he had as governor of Kentucky, Ford gave attention to improving the efficiency of government. While serving on the

Government Printing Office.[33] It would also have centralized government printing services and penalized government agencies who did not make their documents available to the printing office to be printed.[33] Opponents of the bill cited the broad powers granted to the printing office and concerns about the erosion of copyright protection.[33] The bill was reported favorably out of committee, but was squeezed from the legislative calendar by issues related to the impending impeachment of Bill Clinton.[33] Warner did not return to his chairmanship of the Joint Committee on Printing in the next congress, Ford retired from the Senate, and the bill was not re-introduced.[33]

Later life, illness and death

Ford chose not to seek a fifth term in 1998, and retired to Owensboro.

Dickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky.[35] At the time of his retirement, Ford was the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history.[36] In January 2009, Mitch McConnell surpassed Ford's mark of 24 years in the Senate.[36]

In August 1978, the

Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway during the administration of Governor Paul E. Patton.[38] In 2009, Ford was inducted into the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame.[39]

Later in life, Ford taught politics to the youth of Owensboro from the Owensboro Museum of Science and History, which houses a replica of his Senate office.[40]

On July 19, 2014, the Messenger-Inquirer reported that Ford had been diagnosed with lung cancer.[41]

Ford died from lung cancer at his home on January 22, 2015, at age 90. He was buried at Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery.[42][43]

See also

References

  1. ^ Jones, p. 211
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw Cross, 1A
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ford, Wendell Hampton". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Powell, p. 110
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Harrison in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, p. 342
  6. ^ a b c "Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Ford". Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Senator Wendell Hampton Ford". National Guard History E-Museum
  8. ^ a b "Kentucky Governor Wendell Hampton Ford". National Governors Association
  9. ^ "Brothers in Government". Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e Harrison in A New History of Kentucky, p. 415
  11. ^ a b c d e Jones, p. 214
  12. ^ 405 U.S. 330 (1972)
  13. ^ "Dunn v. Blumstein". The Oyez Project
  14. ^ a b Van Curon, p. 27
  15. ^ Jones, pp. 212–213
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Jones, p. 213
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Jones, p. 215
  18. ^ Babcock, A4
  19. ^ Urch, Katie (29 September 2002). "Scandals beset Ky. governors". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  20. ^ Ramsey, p. 5
  21. ^ Cohn, p. B1
  22. ^ "Baesler, Ford Stump Together in Richmond", Lexington Herald-Leader
  23. ^ a b c Miller, p. A1
  24. ^ Gibson, p. 9K
  25. ^ Heckel, p. 1A
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Martin, p. 16S
  27. ^ a b c d e Nash, p. A20
  28. ^ a b c "Four-term Senator, lifetime citizen soldier", National Guard
  29. ^ "Kentucky Army Guard Dedicates New Training Site to Senator Ford". National Guard
  30. ^ Haskell, p. 10
  31. ^ a b c d King, p. 8
  32. ^ Jones, p. 216
  33. ^ a b c d e f Relyea, "Public printing reform and the 105th Congress"
  34. ^ American Library Association. Honorary Membership. http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/176/all_years
  35. ^ Cross, p. 1B
  36. ^ a b "Milestone: McConnell's long tenure marked with distinction"
  37. ^ Lawrence, "Bypass at 40"
  38. ^ Kocher, p. A1
  39. ^ Covington, "Ford inducted into Transportation Hall of Fame"
  40. ^ "Wendell H. Ford Government Education Center", Owensboro Museum of Science and History
  41. ^ Vied, Steve (July 19, 2014). "Ford battling lung cancer". The Messenger-Inquirer. p. A1.
  42. ^ Clymer, Adam (January 22, 2015). "Wendell Ford, 90, Dies; Kentucky Senator Pushed Voting Rights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015.
  43. ^ "Wendell Ford Buried at Rosehill-Elmwood Cemetery". Tri State Homepage. January 28, 2015. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wendell H. Ford.
Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by
Hugh McKenna
 President of the United States Junior Chamber
1956–1957 		Succeeded by
Chuck Shearer
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
nominee for Governor of Kentucky
1971
Preceded by Chair of the Democratic Governors Association
1973–1974 		Succeeded by
Wendell Anderson
Preceded by
Katherine Peden
Class 3)
1974, 1980, 1986, 1992
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Bennett Johnston
 Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
1977–1983 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Democratic Whip
1991–1999 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
1967–1971 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Louie Nunn
 Governor of Kentucky
1971–1974
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
United States Senator (Class 3) from Kentucky
1974–1999
Served alongside: Walter Dee Huddleston, Mitch McConnell
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Frank Moss
 Chair of the Senate Space Committee
1977 		Position abolished
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
1987–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the
Joint Inaugural Committee

1988–1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Majority Whip
1991–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Alan Simpson
 Senate Minority Whip
1995–1999 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wendell_Ford&oldid=1219275852"