James D. Ford, 70, the widely respected former chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives who retired last year, died in Annapolis, Maryland, August 27

Christian Century, Oct 10, 2001

James D. Ford, 70, the widely respected former chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives who retired last year, died in Annapolis, Maryland, August 27. A minister with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Ford served members of Congress for 21 years. The son and grandson of Lutheran pastors, Ford was educated at Gustavus Adolphus College and Augustana Theological Seminary.

After pastoring a small church in Minnesota, Ford worked as a chaplain at West Point before being named, at 33, the youngest military chaplain in history by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Ford served quietly on Capitol Hill, drawing the most attention when controversy erupted over his successor. A House panel chose a Catholic priest, but Republican leaders overrode that vote in favor of Presbyterian Charles Wright. After weeks of charges of anti-Catholic bias, Wright withdrew and Hastert tapped Chicago priest Daniel Coughlin as the House's first Catholic chaplain.