James R. Ford

James R. Ford (December 1, 1925 – October 11, 2017) was an American educator, politician, and businessman. In 1972, Ford became the first African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, and the first Black mayor of a U.S. state capital city. He later served for fourteen years as a city commissioner, being repeatedly re-elected.

Early life and career Ford was born and raised in Leon County, attending local public schools, which were segregated. He went to college at Florida A&M University, a historically black university, where he earned his B.S. in 1950 and his MEd in 1959. He served in both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army.

He worked in the Leon County public school system from 1950 to 1987, starting as a teacher. Later he became the county system's first Black administrator, presiding over Leon County's first integrated school staff.

Mayor of Tallahassee In 1971, he was elected as a Tallahassee city commissioner. In 1972, Ford was elected as Tallahassee's first African-American mayor and the first African-American mayor of any state capital city. He was elected to subsequent terms as mayor in 1976 and 1982 while serving during the interim periods as a city commissioner (1973–1975 and 1977–1981) as well as after his last term (1983–1985).