Martha Firestone Ford Biography & Net Worth

Martha Firestone Ford Biography & Net Worth

Following six seasons as the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) principal owner and chairperson (from 2014 to 2019), Martha Firestone Ford now serves as Owner and Chair Emeritus of the franchise and supports her four children – Vice Chair/Owner Elizabeth Ford Kontulis, Vice-Chair/Owner William Clay Ford Jr., Vice-Chair/Owner Martha Ford Morse, and Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp – in the organizational leadership. Mrs. Ford took over from her husband, William Clay Ford, who died on March 9, 2014, after serving as the franchise’s sole owner for 50 seasons (from 1964-2013). Following her husband’s demise, Mrs. Ford became the 5th principal owner or organization group to own and control the Lions since it moved to Detroit in 1934.

The American businesswoman is a Vassar College Alumni and also sits on the board of the Henry Ford Health System.

Early Life: Childhood & Education

Martha Parke Firestone Ford was born on September 16, 1925, in Cleveland, Ohio, in the United States. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Parke Firestone and her husband Harvey S. Firestone Jr., and the granddaughter of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company founder Harvey Samuel Firestone and his spouse Idabelle Smith Firestone.

Martha attended and graduated from Vassar College in 1946.

Professional Life: Sports Involvement & Other Businesses

Martha is the majority owner of the Detroit Lions of the National Football League, with each of her children holding small shares in the team.

Her husband William died on March 9, 2014, at the age of 88. Prior to his demise, he was the sole owner and chair of the team since he bought out other owners in 1963 for a fee in the region of $4.5 million. A day after William died, it was revealed that controlling interest in the franchise would pass to his widow, Martha.

Martha stepped down from her position as Lions’ owner on June 23, 2020, and was succeeded by her daughter Sheila Ford Hamp. She was one of 10 female NFL franchise owners at the end of her tenure. The others were Jody Allen of the Seattle Seahawks, Denise DeBartolo York of the San Francisco 49ers, Janice McNair of the Houston Texans, Gayle Benson of the New Orleans Saints, Amy Adams Strunk of the Tennessee Titans, Dee Haslam of Cleveland Browns, Carol Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders, Kim Pegula of the Buffalo Bills, and Virginia Halas McCaskey of the Chicago Bears.

Martha served as principal owner and chairperson of the Detroit Lions team for a total of six seasons, starting from 2014 when she took over from her late husband up till 2019. She’s now associating with the National Football League outfit as the chair emeritus and owner, running the business with her four children all occupying strategic positions at the helm of leadership. In addition to the aforesaid, Martha is a board member of the Henry Ford Health System.

Personal Life: Family, Husband, Children

Martha’s late husband, William Clay Ford, Is the grandson of American business tycoon Henry Ford, who founded the Ford Motors Group. Martha and William first met in New York at a lunch that was fixed by both their mothers who were also in attendance. She was a Vassar College student at that time and he was a naval cadet. After getting along with each other, they said their wedding vows on June 21, 1947, at a church in Akron, Ohio. By then both families had acquired extensive wealth, and the union between the grandchildren of two business moguls was reported by countless news outlets.

After 67 years of living together in peace and happiness, Mather’s husband, William Ford, passed away in 2014 leaving her and their four children behind.

Her four children, all of whom hold leadership positions in the Lion’s franchise include Sheila Ford Hamp (Principal Owner and Chair), Elizabeth Ford Kontulis (Vice-Chair and Owner), William Clay Ford Jr. (Vice-Chair and Owner), and Martha Ford Morse (Vice-Chair and Owner). Her only son, William, served as chairperson of the board of directors of the Ford Motor Company as of 2015 and had been the chief operating officer and chief executive officer of Ford previously.

Martha is a grand mum of 14 and a great-grand mum of 2. She and her family, and many other members of the extended Ford family, have resided at Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The United States for many years.

Martha Firestone Ford Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Brands

The American businesswoman and sports team executive, Martha Firestone Ford, is said to own a net worth of $800 million. Her parents and grandparents were rich and successful people. Her paternal grandfather was Harvey Firestone, the founder of the Firestone and Rubber Company. This is to say that she did inherit some of her wealth from her family before her marriage to the late William Clay Ford, grandson of Ford Company founder Henry Ford, who passed away in 2014 and left his business empire behind for his wife and children.