JACKSON — Former longtime Mississippi Speaker of the House Tim Ford has died of a heart attack.
Scott Andress, a partner with Balch and Bingham law firm in Jackson, confirmed Ford died Friday at a home he owns in Oxford. Ford was 63.
Since June 2003, Ford has been a partner at the firm.
The Clarion-Ledger reports Ford served as speaker for 16 years.
An attorney, Ford was elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 and was elected speaker in 1988, where he served until 2004. He was the second-longest serving speaker in state history.
Ford, who replaced longtime Speaker Buddie Newman, was credited with eventually bringing relative peace to a politically warring House and for ruling the chamber fairly and evenhandedly.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
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