Harold Ford | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 9th district |
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In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2007 |
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Preceded by | Harold Ford Sr. |
Succeeded by | Steve Cohen |
Personal details | |
Born |
Harold Eugene Ford Jr. May 11, 1970 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Emily Threlkeld |
Education |
University of Pennsylvania (BA) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (JD) |
Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American politician who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party from Tennessee's 9th congressional district, centered in Memphis, from 1997 to 2007. He is the son of former Congressman Harold Ford Sr., who held the same seat for 22 years. In 2006, Ford made an unsuccessful bid for the US Senate seat vacated by retiring Bill Frist. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis. Ford was the last chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC).
Since 2011, Ford has worked for Morgan Stanley as a Managing Director. He also regularly appears on television on political-related programs, such as NBC's Meet the Press, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC. He and his wife live in New York City and have a daughter, Georgia Walker, and a son, Harold Eugene III.
Ford also wrote a book, "More Davids Than Goliaths: A Political Education," published in 2010.
Ford is the eldest son of former Representative Harold Ford Sr. and Dorothy Bowles Ford. He has two brothers, Jake and Isaac, as well as two half-siblings, Andrew and Ava, from his father's second marriage.
The Ford family has long been prominent in Memphis' African-American community. Ford's grandfather, N.J. Ford, established a funeral home, which gave the family a broad network in the community. E.H. Crump, a prominent white Democrat, dominated city and state politics in the early 20th century and befriended N.J. Ford. Ford's uncle is John N. Ford, who is Harold Sr.'s brother and was a member of the Tennessee State Senate until he was convicted on federal bribery charges in 2007 as part of the Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal.