David Ford
| David Ford | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | |
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In office 6 October 2001 – 6 October 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Séan Neeson |
| Succeeded by | Naomi Long |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Antrim |
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In office 25 June 1998 – 26 January 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Election in progress |
| Minister of Justice | |
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In office 12 April 2010 – 6 May 2016 |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Claire Sugden |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
24 February 1951 Kent, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Spouse(s) | Anne Ford |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Social Worker |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
| Website | http://www.davidford.org/ |
David Ford (born 24 February 1951) is a politician who is a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Ford was leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland from October 2001 until October 2016 and was Northern Ireland Minister of Justice from April 2010 until May 2016. After the Assembly elections in 2016, Ford announced that his party would not take the Department of Justice for the next Assembly term.
Ford was born on 24 February 1951 to Northern Irish and Welsh parents and grew up in Orpington, Kent, England. Ford was educated at Warren Road Primary School, Orpington and Dulwich College, London. He spent summer holidays on his uncle's farm in Gortin, County Tyrone, and moved to Northern Ireland permanently in 1969 when he went to study Economics at Queen's University Belfast. There he joined the university's student Alliance Party grouping. After graduating, Ford took a year out to work as a volunteer at the ecumenical Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle, County Antrim, before starting work as a social worker in 1973.
Ford stood unsuccessfully for Antrim Borough Council in 1989, and entered politics full-time when be became general secretary of the Alliance Party. In that role, he was best known as a strong supporter of the then-leader John Alderdice and an advocate of better political organisation and community politics. He was elected to Antrim Borough Council in 1993, 1997 and – after leaving the Council in 2001 to concentrate on Assembly business – again in 2005.
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