Melbourne Haddock Ford (June 30, 1849 – April 20, 1891) was an American politician from

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Ford was born in Salem, Michigan, and moved to

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

with his parents in 1859. He attended the common schools and the Michigan State College of Agriculture (now

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

) at East Lansing. Ford enlisted in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

in 1864, and in 1867 was appointed a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. He resigned the following year and returned to Lansing. Ford moved to Grand Rapids in 1873 and was engaged as official stenographer of several municipal, State, and Federal courts. He studied law and was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1878. He was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from the 1st district of Kent County in 1885 and 1886. Ford was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from

Michigan's 5th congressional district Michigan's 5th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The district is represented by Republican Tim Walberg. Predecessors From 1873 to 1993, the 5th was based in the Grand Rapids a ...

to the

50th United States Congress The 50th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1887, ...

, serving from March 4, 1887, to March 3, 1889. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888, being defeated by

Charles E. Belknap Charles Eugene Belknap (October 17, 1846 – January 16, 1929) was an American politician who served as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative from the U.S. state of Michigan. Early life and education Belknap was born ...

, and commenced the practice of law at Grand Rapids in 1889. He was chairman of the Democratic State convention in 1890. In November 1890, he was elected to the

52nd Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

and served from March 4, 1891, until his death seven weeks later in Grand Rapids. He is interred there in Oak Hill Cemetery.

References

Melbourne H. Ford
at The Political Graveyard * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Melbourne Haddock Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 1849 births 1891 deaths People from Washtenaw County, Michigan Military personnel from Michigan Michigan State University alumni United States Naval Academy alumni Michigan lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Union Navy sailors

See also

References