Sam C. Ford

Samuel Clarence "Sam" Ford (born November 7, 1882 in Albany , Kentucky , †  November 25, 1961 in Helena , Montana ) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1941 to 1949 the twelfth governor of the state of Montana.

Early years and political advancement

Sam Ford was born in Kentucky and raised in Kansas . There he attended public schools. He then studied until 1906 at the University of Kansas law. After moving to Helena, Montana, he opened a law firm there. Between 1908 and 1914 he was also assistant federal attorney for Montana. From 1917 to 1921 he was Attorney General of that state. Until 1929 he devoted himself again to his private law firm, before he was appointed as a judge at the Montana Supreme Court between 1929 and 1933 . On November 5, 1940 he was elected as the candidate of the Republican Party for the new governor, where he prevailed with 50.7 percent of the vote against the Democratic incumbent Roy E. Ayers .

Governor of Montana

Ford took up his new post on January 6, 1941. After a successful re-election in 1944, he was able to exercise it until January 3, 1949. The first part of his term of office was marked by the events of World War II , in which the United States participated since December 7, 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . As in the other US states, industrial production had to be converted to armaments requirements. Soldiers had to be patterned. After the end of the war, production had to be cut back to meet civilian needs and the soldiers returning home had to be reintegrated into society. Domestically, the governor was able to set up a balanced budget. The widespread administrative bureaucracy has been reduced. A project to develop the Missouri River has also been initiated. This included the construction of dams to combat floods and power stations to generate electricity. Similar projects have also been initiated in North and South Dakota .

In 1948, Ford unsuccessfully applied for a third term. He then retired into private life and died on November 25, 1961 after a long illness. Ford was married to Mary L. Shobe, with whom he had four children.

Web links

• Ford in the National Governors Association (English)
• Of Governors of Montana short biographies (English)
• Sam C. Ford in the database of Find a Grave (English)