Former Sen. Wendell Ford Passes Away at 90
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Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — Former Kentucky Sen. Wendell Ford has passed away at the age of 90.
Ford, a Democrat, served in the Senate from 1974 to 1999. He also served as the governor of Kentucky from 1971 to 1974.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commented on the news Thursday morning, saying that “one of the giants of Kentucky politics passed away.”
“A proud Kentuckian who rose from page in the State House to governor of the state, Ford shaped the history of the commonwealth in ways few others had before him. He never forgot the lessons about hard work he learned while milking cows or tending to chores on the family farm. And this World War II veteran never backed down from a fight either,” McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor.
“We imagine he approached his final battle with the same spirit,” he added.
McConnell concluded, “Elaine and I, and I’m certain I speak for the entire Senate, send our condolences to his wife, Jean — Mrs. Ford, as Wendell often called her — and the rest of the Ford family at this difficult time.”
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