James Robert Ford was a politician, businessman, and the first African American mayor of Tallahassee, Florida. That election also made him the first Black mayor of a US state capital city. Ford was born on December 1, 1925, to unnamed parents in Leon County, Florida. He attended segregated schools and then Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida, where he earned his BS in 1950 and MEd in 1959. He also served with distinction in the United States Navy and the United States Army. These experiences shaped his understanding of equality and justice, which he later brought to his work in education and public service.
Ford worked for the Leon County Public School System from 1950 to 1987, serving as a teacher and the school district’s first Black administrator. He presided over the first integrated school staff in Leon County.
Ford was elected Tallahassee’s first African American mayor in 1972 and was reelected in 1976 and 1982. He also served as city commissioner of Tallahassee for fourteen years between 1971 and 1984. Ford’s impact can be seen in the establishment of the Minority Business Department, the Frenchtown Area Development Authority, and the Tallahassee Affirmative Action Office. He also worked tirelessly to eliminate segregated practices in the city government and to secure employment for African Americans. Ford was active in the business community, founding WAMN Radio Station and becoming Tallahassee’s first black radio station manager. He also owned and managed six businesses as the President of CNJ Associates, Inc.
Ford also served as the president of Sigma Phi Pi and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternities, the Tallahassee Urban League, the Tallahassee Chapter of 100 Black Men, and as Commander of the Tallahassee Sail and Power Squadron. Ford sat on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, Meal on Wheels, the March on Dimes Big Bend Chapter, the American Red Cross: Tallahassee Chapter, and the Florida League of Cities. He also sat on the boards of the Tallahassee Memorial Regional Medical Center, the Lively Vocational School, and Peoples 1st Community Bank.
James R. Ford died on October 11, 2017, in Tallahassee, Florida, at the age of 91. Ford was married to Clinta Ford and the couple had two children: a son, James R. Ford Jr., and two daughters, Janita and JaKathryn.