 As governor , Ford made government more efficient by reorganizing and consolidating some departments in the executive branch . He raised revenue for the state through a severance tax on coal and enacted reforms to the educational system . He purged most of the Republicans from statewide office , including helping Walter " Dee " Huddleston win the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Republican stalwart John Sherman Cooper . In 1974 , Ford himself ousted the other incumbent senator , Republican Marlow Cook . Following the rapid rise of Ford and many of his political allies , he and his lieutenant governor , Julian Carroll , were investigated on charges of political corruption , but a grand jury refused to indict them . As senator , Ford was a staunch defender of Kentucky 's tobacco industry . He also formed the Senate National Guard Caucus with Missouri senator Kit Bond . Chosen as Democratic party whip in 1991 , Ford considered running for floor leader in 1994 before throwing his support to Connecticut 's Christopher Dodd . He retired from the Senate in 1999 and returned to Owensboro , where he taught politics to youth at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History . 
