Walter H. Ford begins his political career

Seventy-five years ago this month — Tuesday, April 6, 1948 — Walter H. Ford began his political career, when he was elected mayor of Cape Girardeau.

Ford actually dipped his toe into the murky waters of politics the year before. Following the untimely death of Cape Girardeau County Sheriff H.K. Sewing while working the scene of an automobile accident, Ford, a teacher at May Greene School, was selected by the Democratic County Committee as that party's nominee to run for sheriff at a special election in June 1947. But voters instead elected Alvin Klaus, a Republican, to serve the remainder of Sewing's term.

Ford's political yearnings were fulfilled less than a year later when he was elected Cape Girardeau mayor over another newcomer, D.F. Clay.

Published Wednesday, April 7, 1948, in the Southeast Missourian:

Cape Girardeau's new mayor-elect and his family were in a happy mood when this photograph was taken shortly after returns from Tuesday's election were in. Mayor-elect Ford is holding young Donald Keith, 3, on his lap, while beside him is Walter Joe, 12. Mrs. Ford has beside her the youngster in the family, Jerry Wayne, 5. (G.D. Fronabarger ~ Southeast Missourian archive)

FORD WINS ELECTION AS MAYOR OF CAPE;
SCHWEER, JOHNS, BRUNE TO CITY POSTS

JUNIOR HIGH TEACHER IN VICTORY OVER D.F. CLAY
BY 1,048-VOTE MARGIN; THREE NEWCOMERS WIN

Walter H. Ford, 38-year old junior high school teacher at May Greene School, was Cape Girardeau's mayor-elect today, chosen for four years at Tuesday's general election which left only one incumbent out of four starters still on the City Council.

The incumbent is Commissioner Charles Schweer, who led the ticket in the commissioners' contest. The two new councilmen are Cleo E. Johns, young metal dealer, and Louis Brune, service station operator.

In addition to the city officials, voters also elected two members to the Board of Education, Narvol A. Randol, variety store owner, and Joe A. Heilig, owner of a drug store.

In the school board election Randol led the ticket with 2,694 votes with Heilig in second position with 2,306. Mrs. C.R. Gibbs was third, only 30 votes behind Heilig, with 2,276 ballots and R.B. Oliver III scored 1,964 votes. Randol and Heilig will replace C.W. Bauerle and Rush H. Limbaugh on the board, for three years.

Three lose out

Losing out for commissioner were two incumbents, Frank Batchelor and Phillip H. Steck, and Roy Smith.

Using the mayor's race as the criteria, 5,212 votes were cast. The number was considerably below the 5,724 ballots marked in the 1940 general election, the last of normal proportions.

Ford, who led the ticket in the primary election two weeks ago, maintained approximately the same ratio of votes as before in defeating D.F. Clay, an insurance man, by 1,048 votes. The count showed 3,130 votes for Ford and 2,082 for Clay. In the primary election Ford won by 1,024 votes.

Leads the pack

Schweer, who has headed the park and finance departments for the past four years, was elected by a substantial majority. His total was 2,977 votes.

In taking second place in the commissioners' race, Johns compiled 2,778 votes. In the primary election he had ranked fourth behind the three incumbents.

The other new commissioner, Brune, had a total of 2,279 votes to edge out another newcomer in the political field, Roy Smith, who had 2,104 ballots.

The incumbents, with several years of service in office behind them, were Frank Batchelor, present street commissioner, and Phil H. Steck, fire and health commissioner. Bachelor finished with 2,041 votes and Steck with 2,032.

In copping the office of mayor, Ford won in nine of the city's 11 wards, losing to Clay only in Ward 5, the Red Star suburb, and in Ward 10, Smelterville. He gained substantial majorities in each of the others.

A close race

The race for commissioner was nip and tuck with the outcome decided only on the report of Ward 5, last to come in. With the ward still out, Steck held a 34 vote lead over Brune. Batchelor was only four votes behind Brune at that stage.

But Ward 5, home ward of Brune, came through preponderantly in his favor, giving him 390 votes to 109 for Steck and 156 for Batchelor, completely changing the picture.

Steck had served on the council for six terms, being elected first in 1930 after being defeated in 1928. He was defeated in 1932 and 1934, but was elected in 1936 and had served continuously from that time. Batchelor was first elected in 1934, was defeated in 1936, but was re-elected in 1938 and had served without interruption.

Published April 7, 1948, in the Southeast Missourian:

JUBILATION AMONG SUPPORTERS AS FORD IS ELECTED GIRARDEAU MAYOR

A broad smile spread across the face of Walter H. Ford, Cape Girardeau's mayor-elect, as he repeatedly answered the telephone receiving congratulatory messages and reached out his hand for thank-you handshakes of friends who called in person to express their felicitations Tuesday night.

Jubilation was apparent at the Ford residence, 411 Themis St., as the returns came in one by one with each succeeding precinct piling up a greater majority. Friends were on hand from early evening until late.

Even before all the results had been turned in the telephone began to ring. Well wishers offered their best regards to the city's new mayor, who, when he tried to get up from the telephone chair, was immediately brought back by another caller.

Numerous friends dropped by the residence to bring their congratulations and best wishes, Mayor-elect Ford accepting all with that wide smile and an air of restrained enthusiasm.

Children get sleepy

Several of the callers, when asked their names, replied, "You wouldn't know if I told you. But I voted for you."

There was a bit of difficulty just before The Missourian photographer arrived to take a picture of the new mayor and his family. The two younger children of the family, Jerry Wayne, 5, and Donald Keith, 3, were sleepy and keeping them up past their bedtime was somewhat of a task.

They managed, however, but as soon as the flashbulb had popped, Mrs. Ford quickly hustled them off to bed. Walter Joe, 12, the oldest youngster in the family, was up and about, however, with a grin on his face as large as his daddy's.

During a lull -- apparently the only one of the evening -- in the congratulations, a reporter was able to corner Mayor Ford for a few moments in the kitchen.

Regarding his plans

Naturally the first question asked was what plans he might have in regard to the city as soon as he takes office Monday. "I'm too excited right now to even talk about them," replied Mr. Ford.

He went on to explain that he had been too busy with his campaign to give full consideration to the program he will seek to establish with the council. "After all," he said, "you have to be elected before you can do anything and that was the first goal."

He did say, though, that he is studying municipal problems and will probably have some suggestions to work out with the remainder of the council at the organization meeting next week, and subsequently.

Mayor Ford said he would tender his resignation to the Board of Education today, asking that it be effective at the end of this week's classes. He is an instructor in junior high school subjects at May Greene School. He explained that this would allow him to enter his term of office devoting his whole time to his new duties.

A student of government, Mayor Ford is a graduate of Central High School and State College, majoring at the latter in history and economics. He lacks but a few hours of having his master's degree in political science at the University of Colorado.

Walter H. Ford (Southeast Missourian archive)

Ford passed away July 29, 1968, and his obituary from that date expounded on his career as a city and county leader:

W.H. FORD DIES AT 58

... Ford's first taste of public life... was as mayor of Cape Girardeau.

He was elected i 1948 for a four-year term as mayor under commission form of government, taking office at the age of 39 at a critical time in Cape Girardeau history just as the city and country were beginning to climb to normalcy after World War II.

It had been impossible during the war and afterward for city officials to buy equipment. What was still operating was held together only by the ingenuity of the various departments. Mayor Ford and the council began systematic purchasing of automobiles, street-cleaning and other equipment that took a great deal of financial acumen.

Nevertheless, the mayor and the council under his leadership were able to bring about a complete turnover of city equipment and keep finances on an even keel.

It was during this period, too, that the city underwent its first major expansion. A year before Mr. Ford took office, the people had approved extension of the city limits for the first time in many years and had voted $115,000 in airport bonds.

The expansion of airport runways and upgrading of the field continued over from the previous administration and was completed under his tenure.

Problems of municipal growth, emphasized by the annexation, were met during Mayor Ford's four years in office.

This growth was stressed by the Missouri Inspection Bureau's demand that Cape Girardeau extend its fire protection into the new areas. In 1949 the people approved bonds amounting to $165,000 for two new fire stations -- on Emerald and Independence streets -- and equipment. Two other issues, for a swimming pool and Arena Building improvements, were rejected, but later were accomplished.

During this period, too, Mayor Ford instituted new methods of revenue production which, along with others, kept the city on a sound financial basis.

Defeated for re-election, he returned to teaching, his earlier profession, and also became a salesman for a lumber company.

In 1956, Narvol A. Randol was elected mayor, but served only a few days of his term before taking a position as vice president of Farmers & Merchants Bank.

Ford appointed

The City Council, on his resignation, appointed Mr. Ford to complete Mr. Randol's term. He served out the four-year period and in 1956 was re-elected to the office.

These eight years offered an opportunity for renewed community development to Mayor Ford, and he made the best of it, encouraging passage of bond elections for municipal improvements and finding ways of meeting the city's continuing growth.

The terminal building at Municipal Airport burned, and aviation was expanding. To replace the war-built administration structure, Mayor Ford led the city in a successful effort for $295,000 in city bonds, to be matched by federal money, to build the present building and improve runways and taxi-strips.

The current improvements at the airport were initiated during Mayor Ford's last administration, but were rejected at that time by voters, but later passed.

In 1956 voters supported once again the attempt to replace the tiny swimming pool at Capaha Park. A bond issue for $149,000 was successful and the present pool is the result.

Largest issue

The largest single bond issue in the city's history became necessary in 1961 when the State Division of Health demanded the city build a sewage disposal plant and attendant system to end its part of pollution in the Mississippi River.

Mayor Ford led the campaign for approval of $1,598,000 in municipal bonds to finance the project. The bonds carried, but not all were issued, the federal government paying a portion of the cost. The present water-use system of bond payment was devised by Mayor Ford.

Much of the downtown floodwall system was initiated and constructed during Mayor Ford's tenure in office. He was able to persuade engineers to build the bridge across Sloan's Creek and re-locate Main Street from its originally intended position. A great deal of the legal work on right-of-way and construction was handled by Mayor Ford and his council.

During Mayor Ford's tenure in office litigation was underway involving the trade of Common Pleas Courthouse and the heart of Courthouse Park for the old Broadway-Fountain Post Office-Federal Building.

In its early stages, Mayor Ford championed the trade, but as time dragged on and both properties deteriorated without action by the federal government, he began to have second thoughts.

Finally, principally through his efforts, the federal government was persuaded to nullify the agreement and each took back its own property

Upgrades building

This was followed by a concerted effort by Mayor Ford to upgrade Common Pleas Courthouse. He discussed the matter with the County Court, which occupies the property jointly with the city, and persuaded its members to join in a program of renovation.

First, the interior of the old building, with more than a century of service behind it, was revamped and remodeled, with termite-eaten joists replaced with steel and new flooring laid.

Later, the addition to the west which contains the City Council chambers and the offices of the city manager and mayor was erected. This enabled the city to expand its services from cramped quarters and helped the county to provide more space for its Cape Girardeau facilities.

During this period, Mayor Ford led in the effort to build an addition on the Public Library. The original building was badly cramped. Using municipal funds, the section to the north was added, this was completed in 1949. (Actually, the addition was constructed in 1959-60. - Sharon)

Pushed growth

The burgeoning city growth of the 1950s caused Mayor Ford and his council to take a look at what lay ahead for Cape Girardeau. In 1958 they realized that the city must again expand and called the second postwar annexation election. This passed and the city's boundaries were extended south, west and north.

Again, as his last term in office moved ahead, Mayor Ford saw that once more Cape Girardeau would need to enlarge its boundaries. It was during his last years as mayor that the initial steps were taken to annex territory that was brought into the city limits in 1967.

Cape Girardeau's police headquarters and city court for years were in the present fire station building at Independence and Frederick. The need for space was great, for police, fire, street and health department needs.

Mayor Ford saw an opportunity to solve the problem when Grace Methodist Church was relocated. He worked out a plan whereby regular city funds could be used over a period of years t purchase the old church building at Independence and Sprigg. This was converted into police headquarters and police court while space vacated in the other building was taken over by the departments.

During his first term in office, Mayor Ford served as head of the police department and worked diligently during the postwar period to build it up to a high standard of efficiency.

During his last term in office, Mayor Ford developed the city's first comprehensive graduated pay schedule. It covered police and firemen and was the forerunner of the present schedule which covers all city employees.

Supported activities

A former coach and athlete, Mayor Ford took an interest in city playgrounds and saw an active program put into operation. He took leadership in placing the lights on the Capaha Park diamond, and financed them out of municipal revenues. He encouraged the development of the Arena Building, initiating the first improvements to cover the ceiling and re-roof the structure.

Traffic became a big community issue in Cape Girardeau during the '50s and '60s. Mayor Ford provided the leadership which brought new traffic signals. It was during his tenure also that the two-lane Highway 61 was widened through the city to four lanes.

Streets and sewer lines were built a rate more rapid than at any time previously in the city's history as the council sought to keep up with the expansion of the city, and with demands for hard-surfaced streets in many older parts of town as automobile numbers grew.

Mayor Ford's success as an administrator brought him recognition across the state. He served on the Board of Directors of the Missouri Municipal League and in 1959 was elected president of the state organization of municipalities...

Politically, Mr. Ford had served as chairman of the Democratic Central Committee in Cape County, was state campaign chairman for Sen. Stuart Symington and had taken an active part in county political affairs. He was a colonel on the staff of Gov. Forrest Smith....