Martha Firestone Ford Biography
Martha Firestone Ford Detroit Lions
On March 9, 2014, Firestone’s husband William died at the age of 88. William had been the sole owner of the Lions since he bought out all other owners in 1963 for US$4.5 million. On March 10, 2014 it was announced that controlling interest in the Lions would pass to his wife. Firestone Ford is the majority owner of the team, with each of her four children holding small shares in the team.
Firestone is one of ten female NFL team owners. The others are Carol Davis (Oakland Raiders), Virginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears), Kim Pegula (Buffalo Bills), Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Janice McNair (Houston Texans), Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers) and Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks).
Martha Firestone Ford Age
Firestone Ford was born on September 16, 1925 in Akron, Ohio, United States. She is 93 years old as of 2018.
Martha Firestone Ford Family
Ford is the daughter of Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. and Elizabeth Parke Firestone. Her paternal grandparents, Harvey Samuel Firestone and his wife Idabelle Smith Firestone who are Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. founder.
Martha Firestone Ford Husband
Firestone was married to William Clay Ford, Sr. from 1947 till his death in 2014. Ford first met, William Clay Ford, a grandson of Henry Ford, at a lunch in New York arranged and attended by both of their mothers, according to the biography The Fords. Firestone then was a Vassar student who had the college nickname “Stoney.” William was a naval cadet at St. Mary’s U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School.
Ford and William Clay got married on June 21, 1947 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, Ohio. 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. The Akron Beacon Journal called the Firestone-Ford nuptials “the biggest society wedding in Akron’s history” and “the biggest show Akron has seen in years” in numerous articles chronicling the event. The couple received gifts from F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover, media publisher Mina Miller Edison and John S. Knight. Ford’s husband died in 2014.
Martha Firestone Ford Children
Firestone is a mother of four children: Martha Parke Morse (b. 1948), Sheila Firestone Hamp (b. 1951), William Clay Ford, Jr. (b. 1957), and Elizabeth Ford Kontulis (b. 1961).
Ford’s son William was as of 2015 the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company. William had previously been the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Ford and is the Vice Chairman of the Detroit Lions.
Firestone Ford has 14 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Martha Firestone Ford Net Worth
Ford has an estimated net worth of 1.4 billion USD.
Martha Firestone Ford House | Martha Firestone Ford Home
Firestone and her immediate family, and several other members of the extended Ford family, have long lived at Grosse Pointe, Michigan. They originally resided in Grosse Pointe Woods after relocating to the Detroit area following their marriage. Ford has resided in Grosse Pointe Shores since 1960, when she and William had a house built on Lake St. Clair.