Edsel Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in 1921 | |
| Born | Edsel Bryant Ford (1893-11-06)November 6, 1893 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 1943(1943-05-26) (aged 49) |
| Occupation | Automobile executive |
| Title | President of theFord Motor Company (1919–1943)[1] |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Parent(s) | Henry Ford Clara Jane Bryant Ford |
| Relatives | Edsel Ford II (grandson) William Clay Ford Jr. (grandson) |
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist, who was the only child of pioneering industrialistHenry Ford and his wife,Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of theFord Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.
He worked closely with his father, as sole heir to the business, but was keen to develop cars more exciting than theModel T ("Tin Lizzie"), in line with his personal tastes. Even as president, he had trouble persuading his father to allow any departure from this formula. Only a change in market conditions enabled him to develop the more fashionableModel A in 1927. Edsel also founded theMercury division and was responsible for theLincoln-Zephyr andLincoln Continental. He introduced important features, such as hydraulic brakes, and greatly strengthened the company's overseas production.
Ford was a major art benefactor in Detroit and also financedAdmiral Richard Byrd's polar explorations. He died of stomach cancer aged 49. Henry Ford temporarily reassumed the presidency of Ford Motor Company on Edsel's death, then Edsel's eldest son,Henry Ford II, succeeded Henry as president of the company in 1945.
He was also a member of the board of directors ofAmerican IG, the American subsidiary of the German chemical conglomerateIG Farben.
Edsel Ford was born in November 1893 inDetroit. He was the only child of Clara and Henry Ford, and was named after Edsel Ruddiman, one of Henry Ford's closest childhood friends.
He was groomed to take over the family automobile business, and grew up tinkering on cars with his father. He became secretary of Ford in 1915, and married Eleanor Lowthian Clay (1896–1976), the niece of department store ownerJ. L. Hudson, on November 1, 1916.[2][3] Together, they had four children:Henry Ford II (1917–1987),Benson Ford (1919–1978),Josephine Clay Ford (1923–2005),[4][5] andWilliam Clay Ford (1925–2014).[6][7] They made their home at 2171 Iroquois Street, in theIndian Village neighborhood of Detroit.[8]
Ford went to theHotchkiss School, inLakeville, Connecticut, and theDetroit University School. His family donated to both institutions. The school library at Hotchkiss is named the Edsel Ford Memorial Library.[9]
The younger Ford showed more interest than his father in flashier styling forautomobiles. He indulged this proclivity in part with the purchase of theLincoln Motor Company in 1922. His affinity forsports cars was demonstrated in his personal vehicles: Edsel bought the firstMG motorcar imported to the US. In 1932, he had an aluminum, boat-tailed speedster automobile custom-designed by Ford's first designer,E. T. (Bob) Gregorie and featuringFord's brand-new V8, the first low-cost, eight-cylinder engine. This car was sold at an auction during theAmelia Island Concours d'Elegance in 2016.[10]
After becoming the president of Ford, he advocated for the introduction of a more modern automobile to replace theModel T, but was repeatedly overruled by his father. Dwindling market share finally made the introduction of a new model inevitable: theModel A.
During the design of theModel A in 1927, Henry Ford assured mechanical quality and reliability, allowing his son to develop the body, with the help of designerJózsef Galamb. Edsel also prevailed upon his father to allow the inclusion of four-wheel mechanicalbrakes and a sliding-geartransmission on this model. The resulting Model A was a commercial success, selling over four million during four years of production.
As president, Edsel often disagreed with his father on major decisions and was occasionally humiliated in public by his father.[11] The relationship between the father and son was close, but fraught with unhealthy aspects.[12] Edsel managed to introduce many lasting changes. He founded and named theMercury division. He was responsible for theLincoln-Zephyr and Continental. He significantly strengthened Ford Motors' overseas production, and modernized the company's cars, such as by introducinghydraulic brakes.
As an early and enthusiastic advocate for aviation, Edsel insisted that the Ford company should develop airplanes, over the initial objections of his father, who could not envision commercial applications for planes. After having huge success as the US Post Office's airmail carrier, Edsel's foresight was rewarded. Because of his vision in this area, the company was able to respond to the critical need for airplanes duringWorld War II.[13]
The Ford Motor Company played a key role in the arming of the US "Arsenal of Democracy". With Edsel leading the company, he set the goal of producing one bomber per hour at Ford's expansiveWillow Run manufacturing complex, where theB-24 was produced.[14] It was said that the stress of this job caused Edsel to become mortally ill.
According toMax Wallace inThe American Axis: Ford, Lindbergh, and the Rise of the Third Reich,[15] letters between Edsel andMaurice Dollfus, the head ofFord SAF, sent in 1942 indicate that Ford knew and approved of their French subsidiary's manufacturing efforts on behalf of the German military. Edsel was also present at a celebratory dinner at the ManhattanWaldorf Astoria organized byGerhard Alois Westrick after theFall of France. Other attendees includedSosthenes Behn ofITT,Torkild Rieber ofTexaco,James D. Mooney ofGeneral Motors, andPhilip Dakin Wagoner of theUnderwood Typewriter Company.[16][17]
Ford developedmetastaticstomach cancer andundulant fever.[18] Surgery for the cancer was unsuccessful due to the metastasis, and he died in 1943 at Gaukler Point, in hislakeside home inGrosse Pointe Shores, at the age of 49 from stomach cancer.[19][20][21] All of his nonvoting stock was donated through acodicil in his will to theFord Foundation, which he had founded with his father seven years earlier. He is buried atWoodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.
Each of Ford's children inherited sizable shares in the Ford Motor Company, and the three sons all worked in the family business. On Edsel's death, his father briefly reassumed the presidency of Ford, then Edsel's son,Henry Ford II, became president of the company on September 21, 1945.[22]
Ford was one of the most significant art benefactors in Detroit history. As president of the Detroit Arts Commission, he commissioned the famousDiego RiveraDetroit Industry Murals in theDetroit Institute of Arts (DIA).[23] He was an early collector ofAfrican art and his contributions became part of the core of the original DIA African art collection. After his death, his family continued to make significant contributions.
He helped finance exploratory expeditions, including the historic flight ofAdmiral Richard Byrd over theNorth Pole in 1926. Byrd, in hisAntarctic expeditions, also financed by Edsel, named theEdsel Ford Range of mountains after him. Other Antarctic homages includeFord Massif,Ford Nunataks, andFord Peak.
Interstate 94 in the Detroit Metropolitan Area is named theEdsel Ford Freeway.
In September 1957, Ford Motor Company unveiled a new division of cars calledEdsel. The Edsel division included theCitation,Corsair,Pacer,Ranger,Bermuda,Villager, andRoundup models. The Edsel division is remembered as a significant commercial failure. The cars sold moderately well in their first year, but the Edsel division was discontinued soon after the 1960 models were introduced.
In September 1928 the Ford family moved into Gaukler Point, their new home designed byAlbert Kahn, on the shores ofLake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. Theestate's landscape and gardens were designed bylandscape architectJens Jensen with his traditional long view, giving visitors a glimpse of the residence down the long meadow before revealing the entire house at drive's end.[24]
He also designed the gardens for Edsel and Eleanor's summer estate Skylands inSeal Harbor onMount Desert Island inMaine.[24][25] Jensen designed work for their other Michigan residence, Haven Hill, between 1922 and 1935.[24] Haven Hill, now within theHighland Recreation Area nearWhite Lake Township in southeastern Michigan, is designated as both a Michigan State Historical Landmark and State Natural Preserve. Jensen's landscape elements, with the diversity of tree, plant, and animal life, combine aesthetics, history, and nature.[26][27]
Ford died at Gaukler Point in 1943. His wife Eleanor continued living there until her death in 1976. It was her wish that the property be used for "the benefit of the public." The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is now open to the public.[28] Located on 87 acres (35.2 ha), the house has an excellent collection of the Fords' original antiques and art, and thehistorical landscape grounds on the lakefront. The museum currently hosts tours, classes, lectures, and special events. The property is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[29]
The years between the world wars were a period of hectic expansion. In 1917, Ford Motor Company began producing trucks and tractors. In 1919, a conflict with stockholders over the millions to be spent building the giant Rouge manufacturing complex inDearborn, Michigan, led to the company becoming wholly owned by Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, who then succeeded his father as president. After Edsel Ford died in 1943, a saddened Henry Ford resumed the presidency. Henry Ford resigned for the second time at the end of World War II. His oldest grandson, Henry Ford II, became president on September 21, 1945. Even as Henry Ford II drove the industry's first postwar car off the assembly line, he was making plans to reorganize and decentralize the company to resume its prewar position as a major force in a fiercely competitive auto industry. Henry Ford II provided strong leadership for Ford Motor Company from the postwar era into the 1980s. He was president from 1945 until 1960 and chief executive officer from 1945 until 1979. He was chairman of the board of directors from 1960 until 1980, and remained as chairman of the finance committee from 1980 until his death in 1987.
Josephine Clay Ford, a philanthropist who was the sole granddaughter of the automotive pioneer Henry Ford, died on Wednesday. She was 81 and lived in suburbanGrosse Pointe Farms. Her death was announced in an e-mail message to Ford Motor Company employees by the company chairman, Bill Ford Jr., a nephew. The message did not give a place or cause of death. Mrs. Ford, known as Dody, established a foundation with her husband that donated millions of dollars. Mrs. Ford was born in 1923, the third of Edsel and Eleanor Ford's four children. Edsel was Henry Ford's only son.Grosse Pointe Farms.
Martha Parke Ford, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Clay Ford, made her debut tonight at a reception at the Ford home on Lake Shore Road in nearbyGrosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
Edsel Ford, 49-year-old president of the Ford Motor Company, died this morning at his home at Grosse Pointe Shores following an illness of six weeks.
Edsel was a first name before it was ever a car name. But it was never a very popular thing to call a child: according to the Social Security Administration—which has time for this sort of thing—the name Edsel has ranked only as high as 400th on the top 1,000 names for boys, and that was in 1927. More popular names that year included the soaring Kermit, Buford and Elvin.
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| Preceded by | President ofFord Motor Company July 11, 1919 – May 26, 1943 | Succeeded by Henry Ford |
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