Harold Ford, Sr.
| Harold Ford Sr. | |
|---|---|
Ford in 1993
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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, 1983 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | District created |
| Succeeded by | Harold Ford Jr. |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 8th district |
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In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | Dan Kuykendall |
| Succeeded by | Ed Jones |
| Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 5th district | |
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In office 1971–1975 |
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| Preceded by | James I. Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Emmitt Ford (86th district) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Harold Eugene Ford May 20, 1945 Memphis, Tennessee |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy Bowles Ford |
| Alma mater |
John A. Gupton College, AA Tennessee State University, B.S. Howard University, M.B.A. |
| Religion | Baptist |
| Relatives |
John Ford, brother Ophelia Ford, sister |
Harold Eugene Ford Sr. (born May 20, 1945) is a Democratic former member of the United States House of Representatives representing the Memphis, Tennessee area for 11 terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis.
During his 20 years in Congress, Ford obtained ample federal funds for his district through his membership on the House Ways and Means Committee. He advocated for increased government assistance for lower income constituents including job training, health care, and supplemental unemployment benefits with welfare as a safety net. He supported President Carter's initiatives to rebuild central cities, and opposed Reagan era cuts to programs such as Medicare and food stamps. He proposed welfare reform legislation to gradually transition recipients from welfare to work, but it was not passed.
His effectiveness was diminished following his 1987 indictment on bank fraud charges that alleged he had used business loans for his personal needs. Ford denied the charges and claimed the prosecution was racially and politically motivated. He lost his committee leadership roles but remained in Congress while the legal proceeding were pending. He was ultimately tried and acquitted in 1993 of all charges by a jury.
He chose to retire from Congress in 1996. His son Harold Jr. returned to Tennessee from New York and successfully ran for his seat. In his retirement, Harold Sr. has been active in Democratic Party affairs and has worked as a lobbyist. He lives in Florida and in the Hamptons.
Harold Eugene Ford grew up on Horn Lake Road in the West Junction neighborhood of South Memphis. He is the eighth of fifteen children born to Newton Jackson Ford (1914–1986) and Vera (Davis) Ford (1915–1994), prominent members of the African-American community. His mother was a homemaker and his father was an undertaker and businessman, who opened N.J. Ford Funeral Home (later changed to N.J. Ford And Sons Funeral Home) in 1932. His grandfather Lewie Ford (1889-1931) started the family funeral business and became allied with E.H. Crump, an influential white politician in Memphis and the state in the early 20th century.
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