Austin Edward Ford (August 31, 1857 – September 17, 1896) was an American publisher and

Fire Commissioner A fire chief or fire commissioner is a top executive rank or commanding officer in a fire department. Nomenclature Various official English-language titles for a fire chief include ''fire chief'', ''chief fire officer'' and ''fire commissioner' ...

of New York.

Biography

Austin Edward Ford was born on August 31, 1857 in Boston, Massachusetts to Ellen and Thomas Irwin Ford. He was editor of the ''

New York Freeman The ''New York Freeman'' (1849–1918) was an American Catholic weekly newspaper in New York City. History The ''Weekly Register and Catholic Diary'' was started on October 5, 1833, by Fathers Schneller and Levins. It lasted three years, and was ...

'', and was associated with the ''Irish World'', a newspaper run by his uncle, Patrick Ford. As such, he was active in promoting the cause of Irish independence. Ford moved to

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, where he later ran for

New York's 7th congressional district New York's 7th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in New York City. It includes parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Democrat Nydia Velázquez represents the district in Congre ...

for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, losing to the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

candidate,

Franklin Bartlett Franklin Bartlett (September 10, 1847 – April 23, 1909) was an American lawyer and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1893 to 1897. Biography Bartlett was born in Uxbridge, Worcester County, Massachusett ...

, in 1894. At the time he lived at 2767 Marion Avenue in what is now the

Borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

. He was appointed

in 1895 by fellow

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Mayor Strong William Lafayette Strong (March 22, 1827 – November 2, 1900) was the 90th Mayor of New York City from 1895 to 1897. He was the last mayor of New York City before the consolidation of the City of Greater New York on January 1, 1898. Early lif ...

Death

He died in office aged 39 on September 17, 1896 from

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

Legacy

Ford was a direct ancestral relative of Bishop

Francis Xavier Ford Francis Xavier Ford, MM was an American people, American Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop of the Catholic Church and a Maryknoll missionary in China. Because of his torture by the Communist Chinese and death in prison in 1952, he is considered a m ...

, M.M., a missionary killed during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, as well as Sister

Ita Ford Sister Ita Ford, M.M. (April 23, 1940 – December 2, 1980) was an American Catholic Maryknoll Sister who served as a missionary in Bolivia, Chile and El Salvador. She worked with the poor and war refugees. On December 2, 1980, she was beaten, ra ...

, M.M., a missionary murdered in El Salvador in 1980, and businessman William P. Ford, brother of Sister Ita, a lawyer and businessman turned human rights activist.

References

External links

Notre Dame Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Austin 1857 births 1896 deaths Businesspeople from Boston American publishers (people) American editors American Roman Catholics American people of Irish descent Deaths from appendicitis Commissioners of the New York City Fire Department New York (state) Republicans 19th-century American businesspeople