Rep. William D. Ford, an old-fashioned labor and lunch-pail liberal who served his working-class Michigan district in the U.S. House for 30 years, died at his home in Ypsilanti Township, Mich., of complications from a stroke. He was 77.
Mr. Ford, who died Aug. 14, was a Democrat who represented Michigan’s 15th and–after boundaries were redrawn–13th congressional districts from 1965 to 1995, when he retired. He had been chairman of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee as well as the Education and Labor Committee while on Capitol Hill.
An outspoken defender of ordinary workers, he was not shy about using the power of his office or his combative oratory to spar with members of Congress or administration officials.
“He was a protector of working people,” said former Rep. William Clay (D-Mo.), a colleague who served in the House for 25 years.
Mr. Ford also was known for his efforts to increase educational opportunities for families of limited means. In his first year in Congress, he sponsored the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, which provided special assistance to poor school districts and was a key element in the War on Poverty. In later years, the lawmaker sponsored other bills to help students at all levels.
In February 1993, he was instrumental in the enactment of the Family Medical Leave Act, which allows workers as many as 12 weeks of unpaid leave for a family illness or childbirth. The bill was twice vetoed by President George H.W. Bush.
