John Newton Ford

State Senator John N. Ford was born on May 3, 1942, in Memphis, the son of Vera Davis Ford and Newton Jackson Ford. Ford received a B.A. from Tennessee State in 1964 and an M.A. from Memphis State in 1978. Elected to the city council in 1971, Ford combined service there with work in the Tennessee Senate in 1974. In 1979 he left the city council, but remained a state senator. In 1993 Ford again did double duty. Ford has worked consistently to provide help and support for the disadvantaged, particularly in the areas of Senior Services and Aid to Families with Dependent Children. He served as chairman of the Senate General Welfare, Health and Human Resources Committee, and as a member of the Finance, Ways and Means Committee. He is a lifetime member of the NAACP. In addition to his work to provide social welfare assistance to the needy, Ford was instrumental in helping to secure state funds for the National Civil Rights Museum and the Pink Palace Museum, both located in Memphis.