Wendell Ford, a former governor and U.S. senator who was the dominant figure in Democratic politics in Kentucky for 30 years, has died. He was 90.
Glenn Taylor, president of Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory in Owensboro, says Ford died Thursday morning at his home. He said arrangements are pending.
Ford retired in 1998 rather than run for a fifth term in the Senate. He was the Democratic whip, the party's No. 2 leadership post.
He said it was important to represent his constituents' views, including protecting the coal and tobacco industries. Ford was known in some Washington circles as "the Senator from Coal."
Ford once responded to critics by saying: "If they want to criticize me, that's fine. But Kentucky is beautiful women, fast horses, bourbon whiskey, cigarettes and coal. I represent Kentucky, and that's what I represent."