Harold Ford Biography
Harold Ford is an American financial managing director, pundit, author, and former U.S. Congressman working for FOX NEWS as a political contributor. He joined the FOX NEWS team in 2021, after previously working as a democrat member of Congress.
Harold Ford Career
Ford attended Double Tree Elementary School, a public Montessori school located in the Westwood neighborhood. However, he completed his studies at the private St. Albans School, an esteemed university-preparatory institution in Washington, D.C. This shift occurred when his father assumed a Congressional role. Subsequently, he earned a B.A. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. Following graduation, he entered the government sector, initially serving as a staff aide to the Senate Budget Committee. In 1993, he assumed the role of special assistant at the United States Department of Commerce. Additionally, he later pursued a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School in 1996.
During his House of Representatives campaign, he attempted the Tennessee bar exam but did not succeed. He expressed his intention to make another attempt; however, as of 2014, there is no record of him doing so. In 1996, when his father opted not to pursue a 12th term in Congress, Ford entered the race and quickly became the front-runner in the Democratic primary, considered the crucial contest in the heavily Democratic and predominantly black 9th district. Despite juggling his last semester of law school, he strategically organized his schedule to allow him extended weekends in Memphis for his campaign. As anticipated, he won the Democratic primary with ease, securing victory in the subsequent November election. Taking office at the age of 26, he became one of the youngest members of Congress in U.S. history, serving in both the 105th and 106th Congresses. He went on to be reelected four times with substantial support, averaging 80 percent of the vote.
In 2000, he played a prominent role as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention, endorsing then-Vice President Al Gore for the Democratic nomination for President. On November 4, 1999, he voted in favor of the Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act, a decision that repealed significant portions of the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. This repeal allowed financial institutions to engage in a combination of activities such as investment banking, commercial banking, and insurance, contributing to the conditions that led to the 2007 financial crisis. In a significant move, he was among the 81 House Democrats who supported the authorization of the Iraq invasion on October 10, 2002. Following the Democrats’ loss of seven Congressional seats in the 2002 elections, he sought the position of House Democratic Leader, challenging then-House Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi, citing concerns about the effectiveness of the current leadership.
Despite being defeated, he garnered more support than initially expected. Though his name surfaced as a potential Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2004, he was ineligible due to his age, falling four months short of the required 35 years by Inauguration Day 2005. A June 7, 2005, report in The Washington Times revealed that between 1998 and 2003, he took 61 privately funded trips without filing the required travel disclosure forms with the House clerk until August 2003, citing the oversight as a “mere oversight.” In November 2005, during a heated exchange on the House floor, he confronted Ohio Republican Congresswoman Jean Schmidt for implying that Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha was a “coward” in relation to Murtha’s proposal for a withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. Furthermore, he passionately intervened, shouting “Say it to Murtha!” and waving his finger at Schmidt, requiring restraint from fellow Democrat Dave Obey of Wisconsin. Like many Democrats, he believed Schmidt’s comments were an unjustified “cheap shot” against Murtha, a Marine Corps veteran.
Additionally, he held various policy positions during his time in Congress. Notably, he supported the Republican intervention in the Terri Schiavo case and opposed President George W. Bush’s energy proposals, which included advocating against oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He expressed backing for the adoption rights of same-sex couples, favored federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, supported the idea of universal healthcare coverage, opposed the death penalty, and showed a willingness to consider reforming drug policy. Additionally, he served on the House Budget Committee and the House Committee on Financial Services. He was part of the Transformation Advisory Group, a consortium of political, military, and academic leaders collaborating with the Department of Defense to assess the needs of the armed forces. Moreover, he held membership in the New Democrat Coalition, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Blue Dog Coalition.
In 2002, there was speculation about him as a potential Democratic candidate for the Senate seat vacated by Fred Thompson, but he opted not to run. Instead, he supported fellow Congressman Bob Clement, who ultimately lost to former Republican Governor Lamar Alexander in the general election. Later in 2006, he chose not to seek re-election to the House of Representatives, as he embarked on a campaign for the United States Senate in Tennessee. Although he secured victory in the Democratic primary, he faced defeat in the general election with a margin of 2.7%. His younger brother, Jake Ford, ran for the 9th district seat as an Independent but was unsuccessful, losing to Democrat Steve Cohen.
On April 6, 2005, during an appearance on C-SPAN’s call-in show “Washington Journal,” he officially declared his candidacy for the United States Senate. He formally initiated his Senate campaign by filing the necessary paperwork on May 25, 2005. Initially, Democratic State Senator Rosalind Kurita briefly challenged Ford for the nomination but withdrew from the primary due to insufficient fundraising, effectively ceding the nomination to Ford. On August 3, 2006, he convincingly won the Democratic primary, prompting a celebratory event at Nashville’s LP Field attended by his supporters, with former U.S. President Bill Clinton among the speakers. He faced Republican Bob Corker in the November 2006 election. Shortly after Corker secured the primary victory, he proposed seven televised debates across the state. Corker, while agreeing to debate Ford, did not commit to seven debates.
Corker and Ford engaged in televised debates in Memphis on October 7, in Corker’s hometown of Chattanooga on October 10, and Nashville on October 28. In January 2006, NBC’s “Meet the Press” extended an open invitation for the candidates to debate on the nationally televised show. On November 8, 2006, he conceded the election to Corker, who emerged victorious with a margin of less than three percentage points. In December 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Ford had informed students at a Los Angeles-area school that he might consider running again in 2008 for the Senate seat held by Republican Lamar Alexander. However, in January 2007, he stated that he had no plans to challenge the incumbent. Instead, he expressed a desire to spend more time at home, potentially engaging in teaching and collaborating with Governor Bredesen on Tennessee-related issues. On January 25, 2007, he was appointed as the chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council.
In March 2007, he joined the financial services firm Merrill Lynch in the capacity of vice chairman and senior policy adviser. During the same month, he also became a political contributor for Fox News Channel. However, by March 2008, he transitioned to MSNBC, where he served as a news analyst, participating as a panelist on shows such as David Gregory’s “Race for the White House,” “Hardball,” and “Morning Joe.”In 2007, he took on the role of visiting professor of public policy at Vanderbilt University, teaching a class on American political leadership. In October of the same year, he was appointed as the inaugural Barbara Jordan Visiting Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Throughout the spring 2010 semester, he served as a visiting professor at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service, instructing a course on Policy Formation: U.S. Domestic Policy. In the fall of 2015, he was a visiting faculty member at the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy.
He later worked as a managing director at the Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley. In late 2017, inaccurate media reports suggested that he had been fired for sexual misconduct. Morgan Stanley subsequently stated in the following month, clarifying that no sexual misconduct had taken place. In January 2018, The New York Times reported that he had reached a legal settlement with Morgan Stanley. Currently, he serves on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service and is a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One. In 2010, he contemplated a primary challenge to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in New York. Sources close to Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York indicated that he would consider supporting someone “of Mr. Ford’s stature.”However, it was also reported that Mayor Bloomberg assured Senator Harry Reid that he was not personally involved in the effort to promote a Ford candidacy. Senator Chuck Schumer sought to dissuade Ford from entering the race.
On February 5, 2010, Gillibrand held a press conference in which she raised questions about whether Ford, as an executive at Merrill Lynch, received taxpayer-backed bonuses from Bank of America, as a result of the federal bailout. New York City Public Advocate Bill de Blasio joined her at the conference, endorsing her candidacy. By February 12, it was reported that Ford’s NBC contract had been suspended due to his potential political campaign, and he had taken an unpaid leave of absence from Merrill Lynch for the same reason. On March 1, Ford announced in an op-ed article published by The New York Times that he had decided not to run against Gillibrand. In addition, he also wrote a book, More Davids Than Goliaths: A Political Education, published in 2010.
Harold Ford Salary
Ford earns an annual salary of about $47,000-$120,000.
Harold Ford Net Worth
Ford has an estimated net worth of about $1 Million – $7 Million which he has earned through his career as a democrat member of Congress.
Harold Ford Age
Ford was born on May 11, 1970, in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. He is 54 years old as of 2024, and he celebrates his birthday on the 11th of May every year.
Harold Ford Height and Weight
Ford stands at a height of 5 feet 11 inches tall however, information about his weight has not been disclosed.
Harold Ford Family
Ford is the son of Harold Ford Sr a former Representative and Dorothy Bowles Ford. He has two siblings, namely Jake and Isaac, and also has two half-brothers, Andrew and Ava, stemming from his father’s second marital union. Additionally, he has an uncle, John N. Ford, who served as a member of the Tennessee State Senate until his conviction on federal bribery charges in 2007, a consequence of his involvement in the Operation Tennessee Waltz scandal.
Harold Ford Wife and Children
Ford is married to Emily Threlkeld who worked in the field of public relations for Carolina Herrera in New York. They tied the knot on April 26, 2008. Together they have been blessed with two children; a son called Harold Eugene Ford III born in May 2015 and a daughter called Georgia Walker Ford. He resides in New York City together with his family.
What Happened to Harold Ford on The Five?
In late 2017, inaccurate media reports falsely claimed that Ford was terminated from his position at Morgan Stanley due to allegations of sexual misconduct. However, Morgan Stanley issued a statement the following month, clarifying that there was no evidence of sexual misconduct on Ford’s part. In January 2018, The New York Times reported that Ford reached a legal settlement with Morgan Stanley.
Who is Harold Ford’s Father?
Harold Eugene Ford Sr. is an American politician and a former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, serving the Memphis, Tennessee area for 11 consecutive terms from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Eleanor Clay Ford and Edsel Ford on September 4, 1917. Notably, he holds the distinction of being the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress.
Who is Harold Ford First Wife?
In 1969, Ford entered matrimony with Dorothy Bowles, and together they parented three children: Harold Jr., Newton Jake, and Sir Isaac. However, their marriage concluded in divorce in 1999. Subsequently, he entered into a second marriage with Michelle Roberts, with whom he shares two children, Andrew and Ava. Ford is also affiliated with the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Harold Ford FOX NEWS
While working for FOX NEWS Ford co-works alongside: