Martha Firestone Ford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Martha Parke Firestone (1925-09-16)September 16, 1925 (age 100) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Vassar College (AB) |
| Years active | 2014–2020 |
| Known for | Former owner and chairwoman of theDetroit Lions |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingSheila Firestone Hamp andWilliam Clay Ford Jr. |
| Parents |
|
Martha Firestone Ford (née Martha Parke Firestone; born September 16, 1925) is an Americanbusinesswoman and former principal owner and chairperson of theDetroit Lions of theNational Football League (NFL).[1] Ford is also on the board of theHenry Ford Health System.[2]
Born September 16, 1925 inCleveland, Ohio, Firestone is the daughter ofHarvey S. Firestone Jr. andElizabeth Parke Firestone. Her paternal grandparents areFirestone Tire and Rubber Co. founderHarvey Samuel Firestone and his wife,Idabelle Smith Firestone.[3]
She graduated fromOur Lady of the Elms High School in Akron in 1943.She graduated fromVassar College in 1946.[4]
On March 9, 2014, Martha's husbandWilliam Clay Ford Sr. died at age 88. He had been the sole owner of the Lions since he bought out all other owners in 1963 forUS$4.5 million. On March 10, 2014, it was announced that controlling interest in the Lions would pass to her.[5] She was the majority owner of the team, with each of her four children holding small shares in the team.[6]
Ford was one of ten women who owned NFL teams at the end of her tenure. The others areVirginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears),Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills),Carol Davis (Las Vegas Raiders),Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns),Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans),Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints),Janice McNair (Houston Texans),Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers) andJody Allen (Seattle Seahawks).[6] She stepped down as Lions' owner on June 23, 2020 to be succeeded by her daughterSheila Ford Hamp.[7]
Ford first met her husband,William Clay Ford, a grandson ofHenry Ford, at a lunch inNew York City arranged and attended by both of their mothers, according to the biographyThe Fords. She was a Vassar student at the time, and he was a student atSt. Mary's U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School.[8] They married on June 21, 1947 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church inAkron, Ohio.[3] By that time both families had acquired considerable wealth, and the matchup between the grandchildren of two empire-builders was reported by numerous news outlets. TheAkron Beacon Journal called the Firestone-Ford nuptials "the biggest society wedding in Akron's history" and "the biggest show Akron has seen in years". The couple received gifts from FBI DirectorJ. Edgar Hoover, media publisherJohn S. Knight, andMina Miller Edison.[8]
Her husband died in 2014. The couple had four children: Martha Parke Morse (b. 1948),Sheila Ford Hamp (b. 1951),William Clay Ford Jr. (b. 1957), and Elizabeth Ford Kontulis (b. 1961). Her son William was as of 2015[update] thechairman of the board of directors ofFord Motor Company. He had previously been thechief executive officer andchief operating officer of Ford and is the vice chairman of the Detroit Lions.
Ford has 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.[2]
Ford and her immediate family, and several other members of the extendedFord family, have long lived atGrosse Pointe, Michigan.[9] They originally lived inGrosse Pointe Woods after relocating to theDetroit area following their marriage. She has lived inGrosse Pointe Shores since 1960, when she and William had a house built onLake St. Clair.[citation needed]
She turned 100 years old on September 16th, 2025.[10]