 Alfred Ford's father was Walter B. Ford II (1920–1991), whose family were prominent in chemical manufacturing in the Downriver area south of Detroit.His mother, Josephine Clay Ford (1923–2005) was the daughter of Edsel Ford (1893–1943), who was the son of Henry Ford (1863–1947).The two Ford families were unrelated to each other; both his father and mother were born with the last name Ford.