David Ford (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Ford
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| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 12 April 2010 – 6 May 2016 |
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| First Minister | Peter Robinson (FM) Martin McGuinness (dFM) |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Claire Sugden |
| Leader of the Alliance Party | |
| In office 6 October 2001 – 6 October 2016 |
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| Deputy | Eileen Bell Naomi Long |
| Preceded by | Seán Neeson |
| Succeeded by | Naomi Long |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly for South Antrim |
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| In office 25 June 1998 – 25 June 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | John Blair |
| Member of Antrim Borough Council |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 5 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Sean McKee |
| Succeeded by | Neil Kelly |
| Constituency | Antrim Town |
| In office 19 May 1993 – 7 June 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Roy Stinson |
| Succeeded by | Martin McManus |
| Constituency | Antrim South East |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 February 1951 Orpington, Kent, England, UK |
| Political party | Alliance |
| Spouse | Anne Ford |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Social Worker |
| Website | Official webpage: http://www.davidford.org |
David Ford, born on February 24, 1951, is a former politician from Northern Ireland. He was the leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland from 2001 to 2016. He also served as the Northern Ireland Minister of Justice from 2010 to 2016. For many years, from 1998 to 2018, he was a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the area of South Antrim.
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Early Life and Education
David Ford was born in Orpington, Kent, England. His parents were from Ireland and Wales. He went to primary school in Orpington and later attended Dulwich College in London.
During his summer holidays, he often visited his uncle's farm in Gortin, County Tyrone. In 1969, he moved to Northern Ireland for good. He studied Economics at Queen's University Belfast (QUB). While at university, he joined the student group of the Alliance Party.
After finishing his studies, David Ford spent a year volunteering. He worked at the Corrymeela Community in Ballycastle, County Antrim, which is a place that promotes peace. In 1973, he began his career as a social worker.
Starting a Political Career
David Ford became more involved in politics when he became the general secretary of the Alliance Party. In this role, he was known for supporting the party's leader, John Alderdice. He also worked to improve how the party was organized and how it connected with local communities.
He first tried to get elected to the Antrim Borough Council in 1989 but was not successful. However, he was elected to the Council in 1993 and again in 1997. He left the Council in 2001 to focus on his work in the Assembly. He later returned to the Antrim Borough Council in 2005.
In 1998, David Ford was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly. He represented the South Antrim area. He continued to run for elections in South Antrim in the years that followed.
Leading the Alliance Party
In 2001, David Ford became the leader of the Alliance Party. He won the leadership election on October 6, with more votes than his opponent, Eileen Bell. When he became leader, he talked about his belief in working with different groups. He wanted to cooperate with other non-sectarian parties in Northern Ireland. He also believed in learning from peace efforts in other parts of the world.
David Ford brought stability to the Alliance Party. In November 2001, he helped to restart the Northern Ireland Executive. This was the government of Northern Ireland. The First Minister, David Trimble, needed more support to be re-elected. David Ford and two of his party colleagues temporarily changed their political group for 22 minutes. This helped David Trimble get enough votes. This action allowed the government to continue for another year.
However, the Alliance Party did not gain much from this move. The government eventually stopped working again in October 2002. This happened because other parties could not agree on certain issues.
In the 2003 Assembly elections, many people thought David Ford might lose his seat. But he worked hard and managed to keep it. Even though the Alliance Party's overall vote went down, David Ford's personal vote in South Antrim actually increased. He won his seat by a small number of votes.
In 2004, David Ford worked with other parties. The Alliance Party joined with the Workers' Party, Northern Ireland Conservatives, and parts of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition. They supported an independent candidate, John Gilliland, in the European elections. This effort led to a good result for the moderate political groups.
A big success for David Ford came in the 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election. The Alliance Party received its highest number of votes in a long time. David Ford was elected third in South Antrim, getting over 13% of the votes. In the 2011 Assembly elections, the Alliance Party gained even more votes. They won an extra seat in East Belfast and became more popular than the Ulster Unionist Party in Belfast.
David Ford announced he would step down as leader in October 2016. This was 15 years after he first became leader. He felt it was the right time to let a new leader guide the party forward.
Northern Ireland Justice Minister
On April 12, 2010, David Ford was chosen to be Northern Ireland's first Justice Minister in 38 years. Many different parties in the Assembly supported him for this role. These included the DUP, Sinn Féin, the Alliance Party, the Green Party, and the Progressive Unionist Party.
When he was elected, David Ford said that he knew not everyone in the Assembly had chosen him. But he told all members that they had a duty to work together and provide leadership.
Personal Life
David Ford and his wife, Anne, have four grown-up children. They live in the countryside of County Antrim.
He was an elder in the Second Donegore congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland until 2013. He had different views from some members of his church on certain social issues, which led to him stepping down from a leadership role there. In an interview in 2016, he said he was sad that some people did not understand his role as a lawmaker compared to his role in the church.
See also
