Owensboro native and legendary Kentucky political leader Wendell Ford has passed away Thursday at the age of 90.
Ford was the first person in state history to serve as lieutenant governor, governor, and U.S. Senator. During his 24 years in the Senate, Ford was a vocal defender of the tobacco industry and Kentucky farmers.
The Democrat is cited by many as one of the most influential leaders of his party during the second half of the 20th century.
Ford announced in July that he was undergoing chemotherapy for lung cancer.
Term limits at the time prevented Ford from serving only four years as Governor, from 1971 to 1974. But in a 2010 interview with WKU Public Radio, Ford said he appreciated the fact that a Governor had the ability to be much more “hands on” than a U.S. Senator.
“You had the ability to start a project, or stop it. If people wouldn’t do what you wanted them to do, you could fire them and get someone that would. Not that I did that, but you had that opportunity and I guess people knew that.”
While he eventually gained the reputation as a lawmaker who worked behind the scenes to get things done in Washington, Ford initially had a hard time with the slow, deliberative process of the Senate. The Owensboro Democrat told WKU Public Radio he thought about quitting early on when he couldn’t get projects important to Kentucky passed.
“So I was really frustrated, and I was ready to throw it back at ‘em. And I think it was (former Mississippi Senator) John Stennis who patted me on the knee and said, ‘Now son, don’t get too excited. If we can’t get to it this week, we’ll get to it next week. And if we don’t make it next week, we’ll get it the week after that.’”
Ford is credited with helping shape several key pieces of historic legislation, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Tobacco Reform Act of 1985, and the 1993 motor-voter law that allowed people to register to vote when they got their driver’s license.
Tributes Pouring In
Kentucky’s two Republican U.S. Senators are paying tribute to Ford’s memory. In a Senate floor speech Thursday, Mitch McConnell said Ford stands as one of the giants of Kentucky politics.
“Wendell Ford first came to the U.S. Senate in the 1970s, calling himself just a dumb country boy with dirt between his toes. But over a distinguished two-decade career, this workhorse of the Senate would prove he was anything but.”
In a statement, Sen. Rand Paul of Bowling Green said Ford “serving the commonwealth and its people for decades with honor and purpose.”
Ford is survived by his wife of 71 years, Jean and their two children, Steven Ford and Shirley Dexter.
Original post:
Former Kentucky U.S. Senator Wendell Ford passed away Thursday morning, according to a source close to the Ford family.
The Owensboro native served as Kentucky Governor and was a Senator for 24 years before retiring in 1999. Ford was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and had undergone treatment in Daviess County.
