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A short
biography of Henry Ford
Henry was born on a farm near Greenfield, Michigan on July 30th, 1863.
Educated in the Greenfield school district, and at
The age of 16 Henry became a machinist's apprentice in Detroit. In
1888 he married Clara Jane Bryant. In 1891 he became an
Engineer at the Edison Illumination Company in Detroit. Henry had one
son, Edsel Bryant Ford, born in Detroit Nov. 6th,
1893.
Henry built his first car, the Quadricycle Runabout, in the summer of
1896. Ithad a 4hp engine and could reach 20mph. He
Sold the car for $200.00 to finance his second car which was completed
around early 1898.
He incorporated Ford Motor Company on June 16th, 1903 which was capitalized
for $100,000 with 12 stockholders.
Ford produced 1708 cars the first year. In 1908 he brought out
the Model T. A car for anybody and everybody. In1914 he
Announced a plan for profit- sharing, and then an unheard of $5.00-a-dayminimum
wage. When the United States entered the
War in 1917 his plants switched to war production. Efficient production
line methods enabled him to cut costs of his products
While simultaneously increasing wages so that his employee's were the
highest paid in the industry. In 1926 with the popularity of
The Model T waning and almost 15,000,000 units sold Edsel, now President
of Ford, had pushed Henry to design and build a
New car. What evolved was the "Model A". First shown in Dec. 1927 to
the general public. Ford produced about 4,500,000
Model A's before adding the V8 engine 1932 and calling it the "Model
B". When the Unites States again entered war (World
War II) Henry again converted all his plants to war production.
Edsel, in 1919 succeeded his father as president of Ford Motor Company
until his death on May 26th, 1943 at the age of
49. Henry again, at the age of 80,took over the presidency of Ford
Motor Company. On September 21st, 1945his grandson,
Henry Ford II, Edsel's eldest son, took over the presidency.
Henry Ford, the undisputed father of the automobile, died in Dearborn
Mich., April 7th, 1947. He was 83 years old.
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