Clay Ford

Clarence V. Ford, known as Clay Ford (September 24, 1938 – March 18, 2013), was an attorney and Republican politician from Gulf Breeze in Santa Rosa County near Pensacola, Florida, who, from 2007 until his death, represented District 2 in the Florida House of Representatives.

Early life and education A native of Wynne in Cross County in eastern Arkansas, Ford was married to Carol Ann Ford and had three children, David, Doug, and Clay, and seven grandchildren. He served in the infantry in the United States Army, the Army Reserve, and the Arkansas National Guard from 1955 to 1988, having advanced through the ranks from private to colonel. He studied at the United States Army War College in Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania and the United States Air Force War College in Frankfurt, Germany.

In 1969, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. In 1978, he obtained a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law, also in Fayetteville. In 1986, Ford obtained a Master of Science degree in public administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Ford was re-elected to the Florida House in November 2008. From 2008 to 2009, he was the House Deputy Whip.

He was a Methodist and a member of the American Legion, the Arkansas Bar Association, and the Florida Bar. He was affiliated with the Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce and Rotary International. He was a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. He received endorsements from the NRA as well as the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Right to Life.

Death and legacy Ford died of cancer in Florida at the age of seventy-four. Will Weatherford, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, said of his death: "The consummate gentleman of the House, Clay Ford was a friend, a mentor, and a tender conscience to all those who served with him. Last night, Clay lost his brave fight with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Carol, his three sons, David, Doug, and Clay, and his nine grandchildren."

The Florida Legislature recognized Representative Clay Ford by naming the Minority Scholarship for accounting students the Clay Ford Scholarship Program in the 2013 legislative session.