Harold Ford Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harold Ford Jr.
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Tennessee's 9th district
In office January 3, 1997 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Harold Ford Sr.
Succeeded by	Steve Cohen
Personal details
Born	Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (1970-05-11) May 11, 1970 (age 55) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Emily Threlkeld ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	2
Parent	Harold Ford Sr. (father)
Education	University of Pennsylvania (BA) University of Michigan (JD)

Harold Eugene Ford Jr. (born May 11, 1970) is an American politician, author, and TV commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007. He was a member of the Democratic Party and represented the 9th district of Tennessee, which includes Memphis.

Harold Ford Jr. comes from the important Ford political family in Memphis. His father, Harold Ford Sr., held the same seat in Congress for 22 years before him. In 2006, Harold Ford Jr. ran for a seat in the United States Senate but did not win. He also led a group called the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), which aimed to modernize the Democratic Party.

After leaving Congress, Ford worked in finance for companies like Morgan Stanley and PNC Financial Services. He also became a regular face on TV, sharing his political views on channels like NBC, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, and later Fox News. He wrote a book called More Davids Than Goliaths: A Political Education in 2010. Today, he lives in New York City with his wife and two children.

Harold Ford Jr.'s Early Life and School

Harold Ford Jr. was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the oldest son of former Congressman Harold Ford Sr. and Dorothy Bowles Ford. He has two younger brothers, Jake and Isaac, and two half-siblings, Andrew and Ava.

His family has been very important in the Black community of Memphis for a long time. His grandfather, N. J. Ford, started a funeral home, which helped the family connect with many people in the community. Harold Ford Jr. spent his early years living above this family business.

He went to Double Tree Elementary School, a public Montessori school in Memphis. Later, he attended the private St. Albans School for Boys in Washington, D.C.. He went there after his father became a Congressman. After high school, he studied American history at the University of Pennsylvania, earning his degree in 1992.

Starting His Career and Law School

After college, Harold Ford Jr. began working in government. He was a staff aide for the United States Senate Committee on the Budget. In 1993, he became a special assistant at the United States Department of Commerce.

He then went back to school to study law at the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1996. While running for Congress, he took the Tennessee bar exam but did not pass it.

Time in the House of Representatives

When his father, Harold Ford Sr., decided not to run for Congress again in 1996, Harold Ford Jr. decided to run for the same seat. He was the favorite to win the Democratic primary election because the district was strongly Democratic. He planned his law school schedule so he could fly home to Memphis every week to campaign. He easily won the primary and then the election in November.

Harold Ford Jr. was only 26 years old when he took office, making him one of the youngest members of Congress in U.S. history. He was re-elected four times without much challenge from the Republican Party. In 2000, he was a main speaker at the 2000 Democratic National Convention, supporting Al Gore for President.

In 1999, Ford voted for the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act. This law changed some rules that had kept banks and insurance companies separate. Some experts believe this change played a role in the financial crisis that happened years later. In 2002, he was one of the Democrats who voted to allow the invasion of Iraq.

After the Democrats lost some seats in the 2002 elections, Ford ran for House Democratic Leader. He challenged Nancy Pelosi, saying that the current leaders were not effective. He didn't win, but he received more support than many expected.

In 2005, a newspaper reported that Ford had taken many privately funded trips but had not filed the required forms on time. His office said it was just an "oversight."

In November 2005, during a debate in the House, a Republican Congresswoman, Jean Schmidt, made a comment that upset many Democrats. Harold Ford Jr. quickly walked across the House floor, shouting at her. He had to be held back by another Congressman. He felt her comments were unfair to a fellow Democrat who was a military veteran.

Harold Ford Jr. on the campaign trail

Ford supported some Republican ideas, like getting involved in the Terri Schiavo case. He disagreed with President George W. Bush's energy plans, including oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He supported adoption rights for same-sex couples and wanted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He also supported universal healthcare coverage and was open to changing drug policy.

During his time in Congress, Ford served on the United States House Committee on the Budget and the United States House Committee on Financial Services. He was also part of groups like the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Blue Dog Coalition.

In 2006, Harold Ford Jr. decided not to run for re-election to the House. Instead, he ran for the United States Senate in Tennessee. He won the Democratic primary but lost the general election by a small margin. His younger brother, Jake Ford, ran for Harold Jr.'s old House seat as an Independent but lost.

Running for U.S. Senate in 2006

On April 6, 2005, Harold Ford Jr. announced that he would run for the U.S. Senate. He officially started his campaign in May 2005. He easily won the Democratic primary election in August 2006. After his primary win, he had a big celebration in Nashville, where former President Bill Clinton spoke.

Ford then faced Republican Bob Corker in the November 2006 election. Ford challenged Corker to seven TV debates across the state, but Corker agreed to fewer.

During the campaign, some radio and TV ads run by the Republican Party were seen by many as unfair and even racist. One radio ad played drum sounds when Ford's name was mentioned, which critics said was meant to attack his race. Many people, including a former Republican Senator, spoke out against the ad, and Corker asked his party to remove it.

Ford and Corker had televised debates in Memphis, Chattanooga, and Nashville. On November 8, 2006, Harold Ford Jr. accepted his defeat, as Bob Corker won the election by a small number of votes.

After Congress

After leaving Congress, Harold Ford Jr. was named chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council in January 2007.

In March 2007, he joined the financial company Merrill Lynch as a vice chairman. Around the same time, he started working for Fox News Channel as a political commentator. In 2008, he moved to MSNBC as a news analyst, appearing on shows like Hardball and Morning Joe.

Ford also became a visiting professor at several universities, including Vanderbilt University, the University of Texas at Austin, New York University, and the University of Michigan. He taught classes on American political leadership and public policy.

He worked at the Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley as a managing director. He later reached a legal agreement with Morgan Stanley.

Ford is also involved with groups like the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service and the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.

Considering a Senate Run in New York (2010)

In 2010, Harold Ford Jr. thought about running for the U.S. Senate in New York, challenging Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. Some people, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, seemed to support the idea. However, other Democratic leaders, like Chuck Schumer, tried to convince him not to run.

Ford's spokesperson said in January 2010 that Ford now supported same-sex marriage. In February, Gillibrand raised questions about whether Ford had received large bonuses from Bank of America, which had received government help during the financial crisis.

His TV contract with NBC was paused because of his possible campaign, and he took time off from Merrill Lynch. On March 1, 2010, Ford wrote an article in The New York Times saying he would not run against Gillibrand.

Personal Life

Harold Ford Jr. married Emily Threlkeld on April 26, 2008. Emily works in public relations for a fashion designer. They have a daughter named Georgia Walker Ford and a son named Harold Eugene Ford III, who was born in May 2015.

Election Results

Below are the results of some of Harold Ford Jr.'s past elections.

• Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 1996, Mary D. Taylor received 498 votes; Anthony Burton received 424 votes; Greg Voehringer received 327 votes; Tom Jeanette received 222 votes; Del Gill received 199 votes; Bill Taylor received 179 votes; Johnny E. Kelly received 156 votes; Don Fox received 146 votes; and write-ins received 10 votes. In 1998, Johnny Kelly received 775 votes; Greg Voehringer received 567 votes; and write-ins received 2 votes. In 2000, write-ins received 36 votes. In 2002, write-ins received 148 votes. In 2004, Jim Maynard received 166 votes.

2006 Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate (TN)

• Harold Ford Jr., 79%
• Gary G. Davis, 10%
• John Jay Hooker, 6%

• Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2006, David "None of the Above" Gatchell received 3,746 votes, Emory "Bo" Heyward received 3,580 votes, H. Gary Keplinger received 3,033 votes and Chris Lugo (Green) received 2,589 votes.

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of African-American United States Senate Candidates