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| Henry Ford
Henry Ford :
Biography
Born on July 30, 1863, near Dearborn,
Michigan, Henry Ford created the Ford Model T car in 1908 and went on to
develop the assembly line mode of production, which revolutionized the
industry. As a result, Ford sold millions of cars and became a world-famous
company head. The company lost its market dominance but had a lasting impact on
other technological development and U.S. infrastructure.
Famed automobile manufacturer Henry
Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on his family's farm in Wayne County, near
Dearborn, Michigan. When Ford was 15 years old, his father gifted him a pocket
watch, which the young boy promptly took apart and reassembled. Friends and
neighbors were impressed, and requested that he fix their timepieces too.
Unsatistfied with farm work, Ford left
home the following year, at the age of 16, to take an apprenticeship as a
machinist in Detroit. In the years that followed, he would learn to skillfully
operate and service steam engines, and would also study bookkeeping.
Early Career
In 1888, Ford married Clara Ala Bryant
and briefly returned to farming to support his wife and son, Edsel. But three
years later, he was hired as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company.
In 1883, his natural talents earned him a promotion to chief engineer.
All the while, Ford developed his
plans for a horseless carriage, and in 1896, he constructed his first model,
the Ford Quadricycle. Within the same year, he attended a meeting with Edison
executives and found himself presenting his automobile plans to Thomas Edison.
The lighting genius encouraged Ford to build a second, better model.
Ford Motor Company
After a few trials building cars and
companies, in 1903, Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company. Ford
introduced the Model T in October of 1908, and for several years, the company
posted 100 percent gains.
However, more than for his profits,
Ford became renowned for his revolutionary vision: the manufacture of an
inexpensive automobile made by skilled workers who earn steady wages.
In 1914, he sponsored the development
of the moving assembly line technique of mass production. Simultaneously, he
introduced the $5-per-day wage ($110 in 2011) as a method of keeping the best
workers loyal to his company. Simple to drive and cheap to repair, half of all
cars in America in 1918 were Model T's.
Philosophy, Philanthropy and
Anti-Semitism
From a social perspective, Henry
Ford's was marked by seemingly contradictory viewpoints. In business, Ford
offered profit sharing to select employees who stayed with the company for six
months and, most important, who conducted their lives in a respectable manner.
The company's "Social
Department" looked into an employee’s drinking, gambling and otherwise
uncouth activities to determine eligibility for participation. Ford was also an
ardent pacifist and opposed World War I, even funding a peace ship to Europe.
Later, in 1936, Ford and his family established the Ford Foundation to provide
ongoing grants for research, education and development.
But despite these philanthropic
leanings, Ford was also a committed anti-Semite, going as far as to support a
weekly newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, which furthered such views.
Henry Ford died of a cerebral
hemorrhage on April 7, 1947, at the age of 83, near his Dearborn estate, Fair
Lane. Ford, considered one of America's
leading businessmen, is credited today for helping to build
America's economy during the nation's vulnerable early years. His legacy will
live on for decades to come.
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