Sam C. Ford
{{Short description|American judge}}
{{redirect|Sam Ford|the fjord in Canada|Sam Ford Fjord}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Sam C. Ford
| image name = Sam C. Ford.jpg
| order1 = 12th Governor of Montana
| term_start1 = January 6, 1941
| term_end1 = January 3, 1949
| lieutenant1 = Ernest T. Eaton
| predecessor1 = Roy E. Ayers
| successor1 = John W. Bonner
| office2 = 7th Attorney General of Montana
| governor2 = Sam V. Stewart
| term_start2 = 1917
| term_end2 = 1921
| preceded2 = Joseph Poindexter
| succeeded2 = Wellington D. Rankin
| birth_name = Samuel Clarance Ford
| birth_date = {{birth date|1882|11|7|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Albany, Kentucky
| death_date = {{death date and age|1961|11|25|1882|11|7|mf=y}}
| death_place = Helena, Montana, U.S.
| spouse =
| profession = Attorney
| religion =
| party = Republican
| relations = Nancy Jackson, granddaughter
}}
Samuel Clarence Ford (November 7, 1882{{spaced ndash}}November 25, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 12th Governor of Montana from 1941 to 1949.
Biography
Ford was born on November 7, 1882, in Albany, Kentucky. His early education was in the public schools of Kansas and he graduated from the University of Kansas with an LL.B. in 1906.{{cite web|title=Sam C. Ford|url=http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_ford_samuel.html|publisher=National Governors Association|accessdate=26 August 2012}} He established a legal practice as well as a public service career in Helena, Montana. He married Mary Leslie Shobe in 1910{{cite web|title=Sam C. Ford|url=http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ford.html|publisher=The Political Graveyard|accessdate=9 October 2012}} and they had four children.
Career
Ford was a member of the Republican Party. He served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for Montana from 1908 to 1914 and served as the Attorney General of Montana from 1917 to 1921. He was a Supreme Court Justice on the Montana State Supreme Court from 1929 to 1933.{{cite web|url= http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_ford_samuel.html|title= Montana Governor Samuel Clarence Ford|publisher= National Governors Association|accessdate= October 14, 2012}}
Ford was elected Governor of Montana on November 5, 1940, narrowly defeating incumbent Governor Roy E. Ayers. In 1944, he was re-elected comfortably over Leif Erickson, the former Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court. Ford ran for re-election in 1948, but was defeated in the general election by former State Attorney General John W. Bonner, and retired from politics. During his tenure as governor, he reduced the state bureaucracy, balanced the budget, launched the Missouri River development project to provide cheap electricity to farmers. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1952.
Death
Ford died in Helena on November 25, 1961, and he is interred at Forestvale Cemetery, Helena, Lewis and Clark County, Montana US.{{cite web|title=Sam C. Ford|url=http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_ford_samuel.html|publisher=National Governors Association|accessdate=26 August 2012}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://mt.gov/gov2/formergov/ Montana Historical Society]
- [http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_ford_samuel.html National Governors Association]
- {{Find a Grave|14948104}}
- [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/ford.html The Political Graveyard]
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Frank A. Hazelbaker}}
{{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Governor of Montana|years=1940, 1944, 1948}}
{{s-aft|after=J. Hugo Aronson}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box | title=Attorney General of Montana | before=Joseph Poindexter | after=Wellington D. Rankin| years= 1917–1921 }}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Roy E. Ayers}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of Montana|years=1941–1949}}
{{s-aft|after=John W. Bonner}}
{{s-end}}
{{Governors of Montana}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Sam C.}}
Category:People from Albany, Kentucky
Category:University of Kansas alumni
Category:Republican Party governors of Montana
Category:Justices of the Montana Supreme Court
Category:Baptists from Kentucky
Category:Montana attorneys general