John Anson Ford

John Anson Ford (September 29, 1883[1] – November 3, 1983) was an American journalist, advertising executive and Democratic Party politician. He was a long-serving member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

1959 photo with miniature gold Sputnik given to him by Russian Premier on his recent trip to that country.

Career and politics

Ford was born in Waukegan, Illinois.[2] He attended Beloit College in Beloit, Wisconsin, taught history and economics, then moved to Chicago, where he worked on the Chicago Tribune. He was on the editorial board of Popular Mechanics. In 1920 he came to Los Angeles and entered the advertising and publicity business.[3]

Ford represented District 3 on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from 1934 to 1958. He was active in Democratic Party politics, serving on the state Central Committee, as chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, as delegate to Democratic National Conventions from California, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from California, 1940,[4] and as chairman of the Southern California Citizens for Kennedy Committee.[2] On his motion, in 1944, the Board of Supervisors established the Joint Committee for Interracial Progress that later became the Human Relations Commission.

After retiring, Ford "wrote regular newspaper columns and continued to give service to the community at large." The John Anson Ford Human Relations Award is named for him,[5] as are the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, and John Anson Ford Park in Bell Gardens, California.[6]

John Anson Ford died at Midway Hospital in Los Angeles.[1][2] He is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[7]

Bibliography
  • "Thirty Explosive Years in Los Angeles County", University of California Press, 2010[8]

References
  1. California Death Index Archived 2012-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved November 8, 2011
  2. New York Times obituary, published November 5, 1983, retrieved November 7, 2011.
  3. Inventory of the John Anson Ford Papers, 1928-1971, at Online Archive of California.
  4. The Political Graveyard, Ford page
  5. "Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations". Archived from the original on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2011-11-08.
  6. Bell Gardens Recreation Services
  7. John Anson Ford at Find a Grave
  8. "John Anson Ford autobiography". Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2011-11-08.



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