Clara Jane Bryant Ford (April 11, 1866 – September 29, 1950) was the wife of

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...

. She was an active suffragist and was inducted into the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

Early life

Clara Jane Bryant was born on April 11, 1866, to Melvin S. Bryant, a farmer, and Martha Beach in

Wayne County, Michigan Wayne County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the United States Census placed its population at 1,793,561, making it the 19th-most populous county in the United States. The county seat is Detroit. The coun ...

, at the intersection of Grand River Road and Greenfield Road. The third of ten children, she was baptized on April 19 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Detroit. In 1870, her family moved about half a mile north to another farm in Wayne County. She attended Greenfield Township District No. 3 School.

Later life

Clara married

on April 11, 1888 until his death on April 7, 1947 four days shy of their 59th wedding Anniversary. They had one child:

Edsel Ford Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the son of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company f ...

(1893–1943). Their son Edsel died in 1943. She was with Henry Ford upon his first test of a

gasoline engine A petrol engine (gasoline engine in American English) is an internal combustion engine designed to run on petrol (gasoline). Petrol engines can often be adapted to also run on fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas and ethanol blends (such as ''E ...

on December 24, 1891. Ford was an active suffragist, often holding meetings at

Fair Lane Fair Lane was the estate of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Ford, in Dearborn, Michigan, in the United States. It was named after an area in Cork in Ireland where Ford's adoptive grandfather, Patrick Ahern, was born ...

. In 1918, she was named Vice-Chair of the Dearborn branch of the Equal Suffrage League of Wayne County. Three years later, she served on the board of directors of the Michigan

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Ford was also President of the Woman's National Farm & Garden Association (1927-1934) Ford died on September 29, 1950, at

Henry Ford Hospital Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) is an 877-bed tertiary care hospital, education and research complex at the western edge of the New Center area in Detroit, Michigan. The flagship facility for the Henry Ford Health System, it was one of the first hos ...

in Detroit.

Fair Lane

Fair Lane was the estate of Henry and Clara Ford, in Dearborn. A statue of Henry and Clara Ford stands in the Rose Garden of Fair Lane.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Clara Bryant 1866 births 1950 deaths American suffragists People from Wayne County, Michigan Henry Ford family