Mary Alice Ford (April 23, 1935 – November 27, 2008) was a Republican politician from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A native of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, the moderate and pro-choice Republican served in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of th ...

for 15 consecutive years representing Washington County.

Early life

Ford was born Mary Alice Hood in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

on April 23, 1935. Graduating from high school at South Pasadena High School in 1952, she enrolled at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. The city was es ...

, where she earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in education in 1956 from the Stanford Graduate School of Education. She married William Ford in 1957 and they had three children; Thomas, John, and Sherilyn. She later divorced William Ford, but retained the last name. Ford was a stay at home mother.

Political career

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

Republican, Ford was a member of the party's central committee for Washington County from 1973 until 1979. In 1979, she was appointed to the

representing

Garden Home A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

in the eastern part of Washington County. Ford was appointed to the office after House member Mike Ragsdale resigned in order to be appointed to the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

. Ford won the seat in the next election and was re-elected six times, serving a total of eight terms, through the 1993 legislative session. As a legislator, she worked to promote social services and health care and was appointed to the Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board in 1981 by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

. She served as chair of that board. The 1992 Republican primary was a close election for Ford.The Oregonian. "How Washington County Voted".''The Oregonian'' 21 MAY 1992: G2 The strength of her opponent, Sandra Nelson, reflected a changing Washington County Republican electorate that would sweep Ford out of office in the 1994 primary. At a debate at the Washington County Public Affairs Forum on Monday May 4, 1992 Ford and Nelson explained their differing views on various issues involving government interference in individual lives, and on the controversial Oregon Citizens Alliance.Bodine, Harry. "4 GOP candidates divide on OCA, role of government". The Oregonian. 5 MAY 1992: C2 Nelson stated that if elected, she would roll back laws requiring helmets for motorcycle riders and also author legislation to allow parents the right to determine if their children need to wear seat belts in cars, stating "government decisions can cause children to suffer". Ford disagreed with Nelson, stating: "A lot of people choose not to be responsible, society pays for their indifference through indigent care and higher insurance premiums". On the Oregon Citizens Alliance, the candidates also differed in their approaches to the group. Nelson supported the group, even though she questioned some of its specific policies. Ford again found herself opposite of Nelson, believing that such groups with narrow goals are not good for the state. In the general election she defeated Dennis Doyle, a computer consultant, to win what would be her final term in the legislature. Ford lost her seat in the 1994 primary to

Eileen Qutub Eileen Qutub is a former state legislator in Oregon. She served in the Oregon House of Representatives and Oregon Senate. She now lives in Washington State. She is a Republican. She served in Oregon's legislature from January 1995 until January 20 ...

, who went on to win the seat in the November election. She said of her opponents on the religious right after her defeat: "Quite frankly, I don't consider them Republicans, I consider them religious opportunists." In 1996, she ran to reclaim her House District 8 seat. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'' endorsed her in the Republican primary saying, "she was respected by lawmakers from both parties and thus was able to deliver quality service to her constituents even when a member of the minority party. That, in essence, defines the role of a good legislator." She would go on to lose to conservative Bill Moshofsky.

Later years

After leaving the legislature she was named one of four 1994 Women of Achievement by the Oregon Commission for Women. In 1998 Ford led a group of other moderate Republicans including Audrey McCall (wife of former Governor

Tom McCall Thomas Lawson McCall (March 22, 1913 January 8, 1983) was an American statesman, politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the state's thirtieth governor from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, McCall grew ...

), Washington County Commission Chairman Tom Brian, Sen.

Jeannette Hamby Jeannette Hamby (March 15, 1933 – January 27, 2012) was an American politician and nurse in Oregon. A native of Minnesota, she worked as an airline attendant, nurse, and educator before entering local politics. A Republican, she served in b ...

, former Secretary of State Clay Myers and Rep. Chuck Carpenter, and endorsed Democrat

Ryan Deckert Ryan Deckert (born c. 1971) is the president of the Oregon Business Association. Prior to this position, Deckert, a Democratic politician from the US state of Oregon, served in the Oregon Senate, representing District 14, which includes parts of ...

in his race against Republican Henri Schauffler. The support from Mary Alice Ford and other republicans was highly valuable as the GOP held a slim voter registration edge in house district 8 at the time. During the 2006 election she was critical of the same negative campaign tactics by "right-wing Republicans"Ford, Mary Alice. Letter. ''The Oregonian'' 20 October 2006:page number. that had defeated her in 1994. She believed that Republican congressional candidate Mike Erickson's attacks against Congresswomen Darlene Hooley were "vicious and too egregious to let pass". Ford died on November 27, 2008 after suffering from a major stroke earlier in the week. Ford was interred at Sunset Hills Memorial Park in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

, on December 5, 2008.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Mary Alice 1935 births 2008 deaths Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Educators from Oregon American women educators People from Washington County, Oregon Politicians from Los Angeles Stanford University alumni Women state legislators in Oregon Stanford Graduate School of Education alumni 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women