Wendell H. Ford
Wendell Hampton Ford (born
September 8,
1924) is an
American politician from
Kentucky who belongs to the
Democratic Party.
Ford was born in
Owensboro, Kentucky. Ford served in the United States Army during
World War II. Ford served as the top assistant to
Governor Bert T. Combs from
1959 to
1963. He then served in the state senate from
1965 until his election as
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky in 1967. He served until 1971, when he ran against his former mentor Combs in the Democratic primary and defeated him. He won the general election in November and served as governor unil
1974, when he was elected to the
United States Senate, defeating incumbent
Republican Marlow Cook. Cook resigned his seat in December so that Ford would have a higher standing in seniority in the Senate. He was reelected in
1980,
1986 and
1992. From
1991 to
1999 he served as Democratic Senate whip, the number two position among Senate Democrats, serving as
Senate Majority Whip until
1995 and as
Minority Whip until 1999.
Ford didn't run for a fifth term in
1998, electing instead to retire to Owensboro. He is the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. Because of his acheivements and long-standing commitment to public service in Kentucky, the
Western Kentucky Parkway bears his name.
Ford was active in the Jaycees.
Ford currently teaches politics to the youth of the Owensboro, Kentucky community from the Owensboro Museum of Science and History which houses a replica of Ford's Senate office.
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Wendell Ford profile, NNDB*
Official Congressional Biography
