Gerard W. Ford
| Gerard W. Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Gerard William Ford October 2, 1924 New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Died | August 24, 2008 (aged 83) Morristown, New Jersey |
| Occupation | Agent (Retired), War Veteran |
| Years active | 1946 - 1995 |
| Spouse(s) | Eileen Ford |
| Website | http://www.fordmodels.com/ |
Gerard William "Jerry" Ford (October 2, 1924 – August 24, 2008) was an American businessman who in 1946 founded Ford Modeling Agency with his wife Eileen Ford in their apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
Ford was born October 2, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana. One of six children of John William and Ermine Ford, Ford graduated high school and became a boxer and football player at Notre Dame (his roommate was Johnny Lujack, a Heisman Trophy winner), before transferring to midshipman school at Columbia University as part of his service with the United States Navy during World War II. His wife, then Eileen Otte, was studying at Barnard College and was, herself, briefly a model. The couple met and eloped in 1944 while Mr. Ford was waiting to ship out with the Navy.
In 1945, after completing his Naval service aboard a supply ship based in the Pacific Theater of Operations, Ford returned to his home and wife in New York. He resumed his studies in accounting at Columbia University, while Mrs. Ford worked as a secretary for several of her friends, also models, and eventually became their informal agent. When she became pregnant, she left active work and he stepped in to manage the business.
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