Wendell Ford

Wendell Ford
Official portrait,c. 1990s
Senate Minority Whip
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1999
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Alan Simpson
Succeeded by	Harry Reid
Senate Majority Whip
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995
Leader	George J. Mitchell
Preceded by	Alan Cranston
Succeeded by	Trent Lott
United States Senator fromKentucky
In office December 28, 1974 – January 3, 1999
Preceded by	Marlow Cook
Succeeded by	Jim Bunning
53rdGovernor of Kentucky
In office December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974
Lieutenant	Julian Carroll
Preceded by	Louie Nunn
Succeeded by	Julian Carroll
45thLieutenant Governor of Kentucky
In office December 12, 1967 – December 7, 1971
Governor	Louie Nunn
Preceded by	Harry Lee Waterfield
Succeeded by	Julian Carroll
Member of theKentucky Senate from the 8th district
In office January 1, 1966 – December 12, 1967
Preceded by	Casper Gardner
Succeeded by	Delbert Murphy
Personal details
Born	Wendell Hampton Ford (1924-09-08)September 8, 1924 Owensboro,Kentucky,U.S.
Died	January 22, 2015(2015-01-22)(aged 90) Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Resting place	Rosehill Elmwood Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ruby Jean Neel ​ (m.1943)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Kentucky Maryland School of Insurance
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1946, 1949–1962
Rank	Technical Sergeant First Lieutenant
Unit	Kentucky Army National Guard
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Expert Infantryman Badge American Campaign Medal Good Conduct Medal World War II Victory Medal

Wendell Hampton Ford(September 8, 1924 – January 22, 2015) was an American politician fromKentucky.A member of the Democratic Party, he served asGovernor of Kentuckyfrom 1971 to 1974, a member of theUnited States Senatefor 24 years from 1974 to 1999. He was the first person to be successively electedlieutenant governor,governor, and United States senator in Kentucky history.He was theSenate Democratic whipfrom 1991 to 1999, and was considered the leader of the state's Democratic Party from his election as governor in 1971 until he retired from the Senate in 1999.At the time of his retirement he was the longest-serving senator in Kentucky's history, a mark which was then surpassed byMitch McConnellin 2009. Ford is the last Democrat to have served as a Senator from the state of Kentucky.

Born inDaviess County, Kentucky,Ford attended theUniversity of Kentucky,but his studies were interrupted by his service in World War II. After the war, he graduated from the Maryland School of Insurance and returned to Kentucky to help his father with the family insurance business. He also continued his military service in theKentucky Army National Guard.He worked on the gubernatorial campaign ofBert Combsin 1959 and became Combs' executive assistant when Combs was elected governor. Encouraged to run for theKentucky Senateby Combs' ally and successor,Ned Breathitt,Ford won the seat and served one four-year term before running for lieutenant governor in 1967. He was elected on asplit ticketwithRepublicanLouie Nunn.Four years later, Ford defeated Combs in an upset in the Democraticprimaryen route to the governorship.

As governor, Ford made the government more efficient by reorganizing and consolidating some departments in the executive branch. He raised revenue for the state through aseverance taxon coal and enacted reforms to the educational system. He purged most of the Republicans from statewide office, including helpingWalter Dee Huddlestonwin the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Republican stalwartJohn Sherman Cooper.In 1974, Ford himself ousted the other incumbent senator, RepublicanMarlow Cook.Following the rapid rise of Ford and many of his political allies, he and his lieutenant governor,Julian Carroll,were investigated on charges ofpolitical corruption,but agrand juryrefused to indict them. As a senator, Ford was a staunch defender of Kentucky'stobaccoindustry. He also formed theSenate National Guard CaucuswithMissourisenatorKit Bond.Chosen as Democratic party whip in 1991, Ford considered running forfloor leaderin 1994 before throwing his support toConnecticut'sChristopher Dodd.He retired from the Senate in 1999 and returned to Owensboro, where he taught politics to youth at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History.

Early life

Wendell Ford was born nearOwensboro,inDaviess County, Kentucky,on September 8, 1924.He was the son of Ernest M. and Irene Woolfork (Schenk) Ford.His father was astate senatorand ally of Kentucky GovernorEarle C. Clements.Ford obtained his early education in the public schools of Daviess County and graduated fromDaviess County High School.From 1942 to 1943, he attended theUniversity of Kentucky.

On September 18, 1943, Ford married Ruby Jean Neel (1924 - living) of Owensboro at the home of the bride's parents.The couple had two children. Daughter Shirley (Ford) Dexter was born in 1950 and son Steven Ford was born in 1954.The family attended First Baptist Church in Owensboro.

In 1944, Ford left the University of Kentucky to join thearmy,enlisting for service inWorld War IIon July 22, 1944.He was trained as an administrativenon-commissioned officerand promoted to the rank oftechnical sergeanton November 17, 1945.Over the course of his service, he received theAmerican Campaign Medaland theWorld War II Victory Medaland earned theExpert Infantryman BadgeandGood Conduct Medal.He was honorably discharged on June 18, 1946.

Following the war, Ford returned home to work with his father in the family insurance business, and graduated from the Maryland School of Insurance in 1947.On June 7, 1949, he enlisted in theKentucky Army National Guardand was assigned to Company I of the 149th Infantry Regimental Combat Team in Owensboro.On August 7, 1949, he was promoted toSecond Lieutenantof Infantry.In 1949, Ford'scompanywas converted from infantry totanks,and Ford served as aCompany Commanderin the 240th Tank Battalion.Promoted toFirst Lieutenantof Armor, he transferred to the inactive Guard in 1956, before being discharged in 1962.

Political career

Ford was very active in civic affairs, becoming the first Kentuckian to serve as president of theJayceesin 1954.He was a youth chairman ofBert T. Combs' 1959 gubernatorial campaign.After Combs' election, Ford served as Combs' executive assistant from 1959 to 1963.When his mother died in 1963, Ford returned to Owensboro to help his father with the family insurance agency.Although it was speculated he would run for lieutenant governor that year, Ford later insisted he had decided not to re-enter politics until GovernorNed Breathittasked him to run against Casper "Cap" Gardner, the state senate'smajority leaderand a major obstacle to Breathitt'sprogressivelegislative agenda.Ford won the 1965 election by only 305 votes but quickly became a key player in the state senate.Representing the Eighth District, including Daviess andHancockcounties, Ford introduced 22 major pieces of legislation that became law during his single term in the senate.

In 1967, Ford ran forlieutenant governor,this time against the wishes of Breathitt and Combs, whose pick wasstate attorney generalRobert Matthews.Ford defeated Matthews by 631 votes, 0.2% of the total vote count in theprimary.He ran an independent campaign and won in the general election even as Combs-Breathitt pickHenry Wardlost the race for governor toRepublicanLouie B. Nunn.Republicans and Democrats split the state offices, with five going to Republicans and four going to Democrats.

During his time as lieutenant governor, Ford rebuilt the state's Democraticmachine,which would help elect him and others, including SenatorWalter Huddlestonand GovernorMartha Layne Collins.When Governor Nunn asked the legislature to increase the statesales taxin 1968 from 3 percent to 5 percent, Ford opposed the measure, saying it should only pass if food and medicine were exempted.Ford lost this battle; the increase passed without exemptions.From 1970 to 1971, Ford was a member of the executive committee of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors.While lieutenant governor, he became an honorary member ofLambda Chi Alpha Fraternityin 1969.

Governor of Kentucky

At the expiration of his term as lieutenant governor, Ford was one of eight candidates to enter the 1971 Democratic gubernatorial primary.The favorite of the field was Ford's mentor, Combs.During the campaign, Ford attacked Combs on the grounds of age and the sales tax enacted during Combs' administration.He also questioned why Combs would leave his better-paying federal judgeship to run for a second term as governor.Ford garnered more votes than Combs and the other six candidates combined, and attributed his unlikely win over Combs in the primary to superior strategy and Combs' underestimation of his candidacy.Following the election, Combs correctly predicted "This is the end of the road for me politically."

Former governorHappy Chandlerran against Ford in the 1971 gubernatorial election.

Ford went on to win the governorship in a four-way general election that included another former Democratic governor,A. B. "Happy" Chandler,who ran as anindependent.Ford finished more than 58,000 votes ahead of his closest rival, RepublicanTom Emberton.With Combs and Chandler both out of politics, factionalism in the Kentucky Democratic Party began to wane.

As governor, Ford raised revenue from aseverance taxon coal, a two-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline, and an increased corporate tax.He balanced these increases by exempting food from the state sales tax.The resulting large budget surplus allowed him to propose several construction projects.His victory in the primary had been largely due toJefferson County,and he returned the favor by approving funds to build theCommonwealth Convention Centerand expand theKentucky Fair and Exposition Center.He also shepherded a package of reforms to the state's criminal justice system through the first legislative session of his term.

Ford oversaw the transition of theUniversity of Louisvillefrom municipal to state funding.He pushed for reforms to the state's education system, giving up his own chairmanship of the University of Kentucky board of trustees and extending voting rights to student and faculty members of university boards.These changes generally shifted administration positions in the state's colleges from political rewards to professional appointments.He increased funding to the state's education budget and gave expanded powers to theCouncil on Higher Education.Hevetoeda measure that would have allowedcollective bargainingfor teachers.

Ford drew praise for his attention to the mundane task of improving the efficiency and organization of executive departments, creating several "super cabinets" under which many departments were consolidated.During the 1972 legislative session, he created the Department of Finance and Administration, combining the functions of the Kentucky Program Development Office and the Department of Finance.Constitutional limits sometimes prevented him from combining like functions, but Ford made the reorganization a top priority and realized some savings to the state.

On March 21, 1972, theU.S. Supreme Courthanded down its ruling in the case ofDunn v. Blumsteinthat found that a citizen who had lived in a state for 30 days was resident in that state and thus eligible to vote there.Kentucky's Constitution required residency of one year in the state, six months in the county and sixty days in the precinct to establish voting eligibility.This issue had to be resolved before the1972 presidential electionin November, so Ford called a special legislative session to enact the necessary corrections.In addition, Ford added to the General Assembly's agenda the creation of a state environmental protection agency, arefinement of congressional districtsin line with thelatest censusfigures and ratification of the recently passedEqual Rights Amendment.All of these measures passed.

Despite surgery for a brainaneurysmin June 1972, Ford attended the1972 Democratic National ConventioninMiami Beach, Florida.He supportedEdmund Muskiefor president, but later greeted nomineeGeorge McGovernwhen he visited Kentucky.The convention was the beginning of Ford's role in national politics.Offended by the McGovern campaign's treatment of Democratic finance chairmanRobert Schwarz Strauss,he helped Strauss get elected chairman of theDemocratic National Committeefollowing McGovern's defeat.As a result of his involvement in Strauss's election, Ford was elected chair of theDemocratic Governors' Conferencefrom 1973 to 1974.He also served as vice-chair of the Conference's Natural Resources and Environmental Management Committee.

During the 1974 legislative session, Ford proposed a six-year study ofcoal liquefactionandgasificationin response to the1973 oil crisis.He also increased funding to human resources and continued his reorganization of the executive branch, creating cabinets for transportation, development, education and the arts, human resources, consumer protection and regulation, safety and justice.He was considered less ruthless than previous governors in firing state officials hired by the previous administration, and expanded the statemerit systemto cover some previously exempt state workers.Despite the expansion, he was criticized for the replacements he made, particularly that of the state personnel commissioner appointed during the Nunn administration.Critics also cited the fact that employees found qualified by the merit examination were still required to obtain political clearance before they were hired.

Walter Dee Huddleston,Ford's campaign manager, was elected to the Senate in 1972.

Ford united the state's Democratic Party, allowing them to capture a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1972 for the first time since 1956.The seat was vacated by the retirement of RepublicanJohn Sherman Cooperand won by Ford's campaign manager,Walter Dee Huddleston.Ford's friends then began lobbying him to try and unseat Kentucky's other Republican senator, one-term legislatorMarlow Cook.Ford wanted lieutenant governorJulian Carroll,who had run on an informal slate with Combs in the 1971 primary, to run for Cook's seat, but Carroll already had his eye on the governor's chair.Ford's allies did not have a gubernatorial candidate stronger than Carroll, and when a poll showed that Ford was the only Democrat who could defeat Cook, he agreed to run, announcing his candidacy immediately following the 1974 legislative session.

A primary issue during the election was the construction of a dam on theRed River.Cook opposed the dam, but Ford supported it and allocated some of the state's budget surplus to its construction.In theelection,Ford defeated Cook by a vote of 399,406 to 328,982, completing his revitalization of the state's Democratic party by personally ousting the last Republican from major office.Cook resigned his seat in December so that Ford would have a higher standing in seniority in the Senate.Ford resigned as governor to accept the seat, leaving the governorship to Carroll, who dropped state support for the project, killing it.

In the wake of the rapid ascent of Ford and members of his faction to the state's major political offices, he and Carroll were investigated in a corruption probe.The four-year investigation began in 1977 and focused on a state insurancekickbackscheme alleged to have operated during Ford's tenure.In June 1972, Ford had purchased insurance policies for state workers from some of his political backers withoutcompetitive bidding.State law did not require competitive bidding, and earlier governors had engaged in similar practices.Investigators believed there was an arrangement in which insurance companies getting government contracts split commissions with party officials, although Ford was suspected of allowing the practice for political benefit rather than personal financial gain.In 1981, prosecutors asked for indictments against Ford and Carroll onracketeeringcharges, but agrand juryrefused.Because grand jury proceedings are secret, what exactly occurred has never been publicly revealed.However, state Republicans maintained that Ford took theFifth Amendmentwhile on the stand, invoking his right against self-incrimination.Ford refused to confirm or deny this report.A federal grand jury recommended that Ford be indicted in connection with the insurance scheme, but the U.S. Department of Justice did not act on this recommendation.

United States Senate

Ford entered the Senate in 1974 and was reelected in 1980, 1986 and 1992.In the 1980 primary, Ford received only token opposition from attorney Flora Stuart.He was unopposed in the 1986 and 1992 Democratic primaries.Republicans failed to put forward a viable challenger during any of Ford's re-election bids. In 1980, he defeated septuagenarian former state auditorMary Louise Foustby 334,862 votes.Ford's 720,891 votes represented 65 percent of the total votes cast in the election, a record for a statewide race in Kentucky.Against Republican Jackson Andrews IV in 1986, Ford shattered that record, securing 74 percent of the votes cast and carrying all120 Kentucky counties.State senatorDavid L. Williamsfared little better in1992,surrendering 477,002 votes to Ford (63 percent).

Ford seriously considered leaving the Senate and running for governor again in 1983 and 1991, but decided against it both times.In the 1983 contest, he would have faced sitting lieutenant governorMartha Layne Collinsin the primary.Collins was a factional ally of Ford's, which influenced his decision.In 1991, Ford cited his seniority in the Senate and desire to becomeDemocratic Senate whipas factors in his decision not to run for governor.

Early in his career, Ford supported aconstitutional amendmentagainstdesegregation busing.He also floated a proposal to put the federal budget on a two-year cycle, believing too much time was spent annually on budget wrangling.This idea, based on the model used in the Kentucky state budget, was never implemented.During theNinety-fifth Congress(1977–1979), he was chairman of theCommittee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences.

From 1977 to 1983, Ford was a member of theDemocratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.He first sought the post of Democratic whip in 1988, but lost toCalifornia'sAlan Cranston,who had held the post since 1977.Ford got a late start in the race, and aNew York Timeswriter opined that he overestimated his chances of unseating Cranston.Immediately after conceding his loss, he announced he would be a candidate for the position in the next election in 1990.He again faced Cranston in the election, but Cranston withdrew from the race due to a battle withprostate cancer.Ford maintained that he had enough commitments of support in the Democratic caucus to have won without Cranston's withdrawal.When majority leaderGeorge J. Mitchellretired from the Senate in 1994, Ford showed some interest in the Democratic floor leader post.Ultimately, he decided against it, choosing to focus instead on Kentucky issues.He supportedChristopher Doddfor majority leader.

Kit Bond and Ford formed the Senate National Guard Caucus in 1989.

During theNinety-eighth Congress(1983–1985), Ford served on the Select Committee to Study the Committee System, and he was a member of theCommittee on Rules and Administrationin theOne HundredththroughOne Hundred ThirdCongresses (1987–1995).In 1989, he joined with Missouri senatorKit Bondto form the Senate National Guard Caucus, a coalition of senators committed to advancing National Guard capabilities and readiness.Ford said he was motivated to form the caucus after seeing the work done byMississippiRepresentativeSonny Montgomerywith theNational Guard Associationand theNational Guard Bureau.Ford co-chaired the caucus with Bond until Ford's retirement from the Senate in 1999.The Kentucky Army Guard dedicated the Wendell H. Ford Training Center inMuhlenberg County, Kentuckyin 1998.In 1999, the National Guard Bureau presented Ford with the Sonny Montgomery Award, its highest honor.

Missouri senatorThomas Eagletonopined that Ford and Dee Huddleston made "probably the best one-two combination for any state in the Senate."Both were defenders oftobacco,Kentucky's primarycash crop.Ford sat on theCommerce Committee,influencing legislation affecting the manufacturing end of the tobacco industry, while Huddleston sat on theAgriculture Committeeand protected programs that benefited tobacco farmers.Both were instrumental in salvaging theTobacco Price Support Program.Ford got tobacco exempted from theConsumer Product Safety Actand was a consistent opponent ofcigarette taxincreases.He sponsored an amendment to theGeneral Agreement on Tariffs and Tradethat limited the amount of foreign tobacco that could be imported by the United States.

Later in his career, Ford split with Huddleston's successor,Mitch McConnell,over a proposedsettlement of lawsuits against tobacco companies.Ford favored the package as presented to Congress, which would have protected the price support program, while McConnell favored a smaller aid package to tobacco farmers and an end to the price support program.Both proposals were ultimately defeated, and the rift between Ford and McConnell never healed.

As chairman of the Commerce Committee's aviation subcommittee, Ford secured funds to improve the airports inLouisville,northern Kentucky,andGlasgow.TheWendell H. Ford AirportinHazard, Kentuckyis named for him. A 1990 bill aimed at reducingaircraft noise,improving airline safety measures, and requiring airlines to better inform consumers about their performance was dubbed theWendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century.

Of his career in the Senate, Ford said "I wasn't interested in national issues. I was interested in Kentucky issues."Nevertheless, he influenced several important pieces of federal legislation. He sponsored an amendment to theFamily Medical Leave Actexempting businesses with fewer than fifty employees.He was a key player in securing passage of themotor voter lawin 1993.He supported increases to thefederal minimum wageand a1996 welfare reform bill.A supporter of research intoclean coal technology,he also worked withWest VirginiasenatorJay Rockefellerto secure better retirement benefits for coal miners.Never known as a major player on international issues, Ford favored continuedeconomic sanctionsagainstIraqas an alternative to theGulf War.He voted against thePanama Canal Treaty,which he perceived to be unpopular with Kentucky voters.Despite having chairedBill Clinton'sinaugural committeein 1993, Ford broke with the administration by voting against theNorth American Free Trade Agreement.

As he had as governor of Kentucky, Ford gave attention to improving the efficiency of government. While serving on theJoint Committee on Printingduring theOne Hundred Firstand One Hundred Third Congresses, he saved the government millions of dollars in printing costs by printing in volume and usingrecycled paper.In 1998,VirginiasenatorJohn Warnersponsored the Wendell H. Ford Government Publications Reform Act of 1998; Ford signed on as a co-sponsor.The bill would have eliminated theJoint Committee on Printing,distributing its authority and functions among the Senate Rules Committee, theHouse Oversight Committee,and the administrator of theGovernment Printing Office.It would also have centralized government printing services and penalized government agencies who did not make their documents available to the printing office to be printed.Opponents of the bill cited the broad powers granted to the printing office and concerns about the erosion ofcopyrightprotection.The bill was reported favorably out of committee, but was squeezed from the legislative calendar by issues related to the impendingimpeachment of Bill Clinton.Warner did not return to his chairmanship of the Joint Committee on Printing in the next congress, Ford retired from the Senate, and the bill was not re-introduced.

Later life, illness and death

Ford chose not to seek a fifth term in 1998, and retired to Owensboro.In 1998 he was awardedAmerican Library Association Honorary Membership.He worked for a time as a consultant to Washington lobbying and law firmDickstein Shapiro Morin & Oshinsky.At the time of his retirement, Ford was the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history.In January 2009,Mitch McConnellsurpassed Ford's mark of 24 years in the Senate.

In August 1978, theUS 60bypass around Owensboro was renamed the Wendell H. Ford Expressway.The Western Kentucky Parkway was also renamed theWendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkwayduring the administration of GovernorPaul E. Patton.In 2009, Ford was inducted into the Kentucky Transportation Hall of Fame.

Later in life, Ford taught politics to the youth of Owensboro from the Owensboro Museum of Science and History, which houses a replica of his Senate office.

On July 19, 2014, theMessenger-Inquirerreported that Ford had been diagnosed withlung cancer.

Ford died fromlung cancerat his home on January 22, 2015, at age 90. He was buried atRosehill Elmwood Cemetery.

See also

• Conservative Democrat

References

Bibliography

• Alfaro, Al (2007-08-21)."Senator Wendell Hampton Ford".National Guard History E-Museum.Kentucky Army National Guard. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-02-20.Retrieved2010-01-28.
• "Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Ford".Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.2008-09-28.
• Babcock, Charles R. (1981-12-22). "Prosecutors Tell Ford About Ky. Probe; Grand Jury Will Not Indict Senator".The Washington Post.pp. A4.
• "Baesler, Ford Stump Together in Richmond".Lexington Herald-Leader.1992-04-24.
• Cohn, Ray (1986-02-28). "Opinions Voiced on Races' Effect".Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Covington, Owen (2009-01-29). "Ford inducted into Transportation Hall of Fame".The Messenger-Inquirer.
• Cross, Al (1999-01-03). "Sen. Wendell Ford retires".Louisville Courier-Journal.pp. 1A.
• Cross, Al (1999-01-16). "Ford will do work for D.C. legal firm".Louisville Courier-Journal.pp. 1B.
• "Ford, Wendell Hampton".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.Retrieved2010-01-02.
• "Dunn v. Blumstein".The Oyez Project.Retrieved2010-01-29.
• Fitzgerald, David. "Supporting the Troops, Debating the War",Register of the Kentucky Historical Society117.3/4 (2019): 555–590.online
• "Former U.S Senator, Ky. Governor Wendell Ford Dead At 90".WLEX-TV.2015-01-22. Archived fromthe originalon 2015-01-22.Retrieved2015-01-22.
• "Four-term Senator, lifetime citizen soldier".National Guard.52(12). December 1998.
• Gibson, Jane (1992-11-04). "Election Results 1992 – Ford Cruises to 4th Senate Term – GOP's Williams Garners 36 Percent".The Kentucky Post.
• Harrison, Lowell H.(1992). "Ford, Wendell Hampton". In Kleber, John E. (ed.).The Kentucky Encyclopedia.Associate editors:Thomas D. Clark,Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter. Lexington, KY:University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-1772-0.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-04-15.Retrieved2010-01-02.
• Harrison, Lowell H.;James C. Klotter (1997).A New History of Kentucky.University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-2008-X.Retrieved2009-06-26.
• Haskell, Bob (January 1999). "Washington toasts Guard's 362nd birthday".National Guard.53(1).
• Heckel, Dan (1989-12-30). "Ford picks Senate over governor bid seniority, whip's race sway vote".Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
• Jones, Landis (2004). "Wendell Hampton Ford". In Lowell Hayes Harrison (ed.).Kentucky's Governors.Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky.ISBN0-8131-2326-7.
• "Kentucky Army Guard Dedicates New Training Site to Senator Ford".National Guard.52(5). May 1998.
• "Kentucky Governor Wendell Hampton Ford".National Governors Association.Retrieved2012-03-30.
• King, Mike (1983-06-12). "Wendell Ford: A Tough Foe to Know".Courier-Journal Magazine.
• Kocher, Greg (2003-09-16). "Parkway to be Named for Collins – Road is Fifth, and Last, to Honor a Living Former Governor".Lexington Herald Leader.
• Lawrence, Keith (2009-10-18). "Bypass at 40: Once derided as 'iron curtain,' road now carries 31,000 vehicles a day".The Messenger-Inquirer.
• Martin, John (1999-01-16). "Mark Made Beyond State".Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer.
• "Milestone: McConnell's long tenure marked with distinction".The Paducah Sun.2009-01-16.
• Miller, John Winn (1986-11-05). "Democrats to Hold at Least 52 Seats; Ford Takes Every County".Lexington Herald-Leader.
• Nash, Nathaniel C. (1990-11-14)."Man in the News: Wendell Hampton Ford; The No. 2 Man for the Democrats in the Senate".The New York Times.Retrieved2010-01-28.
• Powell, Robert A. (1976).Kentucky Governors.Danville, KY: Bluegrass Printing Company.OCLC2690774.
• Ramsey, Sy (1980-05-22)."Ford Anticipated Senate Race Victor".Kentucky New Era.Retrieved2010-02-22.
• Relyea, Harold C. (1999). "Public printing reform and the 105th Congress".Government Information Quarterly.16(2): 129–147.doi:10.1016/S0740-624X(99)80004-5.
• Van Curon, S.C. (1972-06-01)."Legislators to Descend on Frankfort Next Thursday".Park City Daily News.Retrieved2010-01-29.
• "Wendell H. Ford Government Education Center".Owensboro Museum of Science and History. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-07-05.Retrieved2010-01-27.

External links

• AppearancesonC-SPAN
• Wendell FordatFind a Grave