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
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 ...
and his wife,
Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...
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 the
Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
("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 fashionable
Model A in 1927. Edsel also founded the
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
division and was responsible for the
Lincoln-Zephyr
The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln Model K (in both size and price), it expanded Lincoln to a second ...
and
Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental is a series of mid-sized and full-sized luxury cars produced by Lincoln, a division of the American automaker Ford Motor Company. The model line was introduced following the construction of a personal vehicle for Edse ...
. 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 financed
Admiral Richard Byrd's polar explorations. He died of stomach cancer aged 49. Henry Ford temporarily reassumed the presidency of Ford on Edsel's death, then Edsel's eldest son,
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
, succeeded Henry as president of Ford in 1945.
Life and career
![Edsel Ford's Model 40 Special Speedster](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Edsel_Ford%27s_Model_40_Special_Speedster.jpg)
Edsel Ford was born in November 1893 in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
. He was the only child of Clara and Henry Ford, being named for 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 owner
J. L. Hudson, on November 1, 1916. Together, they had four children:
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
(1917–1987),
Benson Ford
Benson Ford Sr. (July 20, 1919 – July 27, 1978), originally named Edsel Ford Jr, was an American businessman in the automotive industry, a vice-president of Ford Motor Company, and national co-chairman of the National Conference of Christians ...
(1919–1978),
Josephine Clay Ford
Josephine Clay "Dody" Ford (July 7, 1923 – June 1, 2005) was an American philanthropist and the only granddaughter of Henry Ford.
Early life
Josephine was born in Dearborn, Michigan on July 7, 1923. She was the only daughter and third of four ...
(1923–2005), and
William Clay Ford (1925–2014). They made their home at 2171 Iroquois Street, in the
Indian Village neighborhood of Detroit.
Ford went to
The Hotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational University-preparatory school#North America, preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It i ...
, in
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, close to Dutchess County, New York. It is within the town of Salisbury, but has its own ZIP Code (06039). As of the 2010 census, the population of Lak ...
, and the
Detroit University School. His family donated to both institutions. The school library at Hotchkiss is named the Edsel Ford Memorial Library.
The younger Ford showed more interest than his father in flashier styling for
automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...
s. He indulged this proclivity in part with the purchase of the
Lincoln Motor Company
Lincoln Motor Company, or simply Lincoln, is the luxury vehicle division of American automobile manufacturer Ford Motor Company, Ford. Marketed among the top luxury vehicle brands in the United States, Lincoln was positioned closely against i ...
in 1922. His affinity for
sports cars
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
was demonstrated in his personal vehicles: Edsel bought the first
MG 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 featuring
Ford's brand-new V8, the first low-cost, eight-cylinder engine. This car was sold at an auction during the
Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance
The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is an automotive charitable event held each year during the second weekend in March at The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island in Amelia Island, Florida. A ''The New York Times'' article about celebrity car ownership ...
in 1976.
After becoming the president of Ford, he advocated for the introduction of a more modern automobile to replace the
Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...
, but was repeatedly overruled by his father. Dwindling market share finally made the introduction of a new model inevitable: the
Model A.
During the design of the
Model A in 1927, Henry Ford assured mechanical quality and reliability, allowing his son to develop the body, with the help of designer
József Galamb
József Galamb ( en, Joseph A. Galamb; 3 February 1881 – 4 December 1955) was a Hungarian mechanical engineer, most known for designing the Ford Model T.
Born in the town of Makó in 1881, Galamb finished his education at the Budapest Indu ...
. Edsel also prevailed upon his father to allow the inclusion of four-wheel mechanical
brake
A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction.
Background ...
s and a sliding-gear
transmission on this model. The resulting Model A was a commercial success, selling over four million during four years of production.
As president, Edsel Ford often disagreed with his father on major decisions and was occasionally humiliated in public by the older man. The relationship between the father and son was always close, but always fraught with unhealthy aspects. Edsel managed to introduce many lasting changes. He founded and named the
Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
division. He was responsible for the
Lincoln-Zephyr
The Lincoln-Zephyr is a line of luxury cars that was produced by the Lincoln division of Ford from 1936 until 1942. Bridging the gap between the Ford V8 DeLuxe and the Lincoln Model K (in both size and price), it expanded Lincoln to a second ...
and Continental. He significantly strengthened Ford Motors' overseas production, and modernized the company's cars, such as by introducing
hydraulic brake
A hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses brake fluid, typically containing glycol ethers or diethylene glycol, to transfer pressure from the controlling mechanism to the braking mechanism.
History
During 1904, Frederick ...
s.
World War II
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 during WW2. The Ford Motor Company played a key role in the arming of the US "
Arsenal of Democracy
"Arsenal of Democracy" was the central phrase used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a radio broadcast on the threat to national security, delivered on December 29, 1940—nearly a year before the United States entered the Second World ...
". With Edsel leading the company, he set the goal of producing one bomber per hour at Ford's expansive
Willow Run
Willow Run, also known as Air Force Plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in Michigan, United States, located between Ypsilanti Township and Belleville, built by the Ford Motor Company to manufacture aircraft, especially the B-24 Liberator hea ...
manufacturing complex, where the
B-24
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
was produced. It was said that the stress of this job caused Edsel to become mortally ill.
Death and legacy
Edsel Ford developed
metastatic
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...
stomach cancer
Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...
and
undulant fever. Surgery for the cough was unsuccessful due to the metastasis. Ford died in 1943 at Gaukler Point, in his
lakeside home in
Grosse Pointe Shores
Grosse Pointe Shores is a city in Macomb and Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,008 at the 2010 census.
Grosse Pointe Shores was incorporated as a village in 1911 and was part of Grosse Pointe Township in Wayne ...
, at the age of 49. All of Edsel Ford's nonvoting stock was donated through a codicil in his will to the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
, which he had founded with his father seven years earlier. He is buried at
Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit.
Each of Edsel 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
Henry Ford II (September 4, 1917 – September 29, 1987), sometimes known as "Hank the Deuce", was an American businessman in the automotive industry. He was the oldest son of Edsel Ford I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford I. He was president ...
, became president of the company on September 21, 1945.
Edsel Ford was one of the most significant art benefactors in Detroit history. As president of the Detroit Arts Commission, he commissioned the famous
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez, known as Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957), was a prominent Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the ...
''
Detroit Industry Murals
The ''Detroit Industry Murals'' (1932–1933) are a series of frescoes by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, consisting of twenty-seven panels depicting industry at the Ford Motor Company and in Detroit. Together they surround the interior River ...
'' in the
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the list of largest art museums, largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation a ...
(DIA). He was an early collector of
African art
African art describes the modern and historical paintings, sculptures, installations, and other visual culture from native or indigenous Africans and the African continent. The definition may also include the art of the African diasporas, su ...
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 of
Admiral Richard Byrd over the
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
in 1926. Byrd, in his
Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...
expeditions, also financed by Edsel, named the
Edsel Ford Range of mountains after him. Other Antarctic homages include
Ford Massif,
Ford Nunataks
The Ford Nunataks () are a cluster of nunataks and low peaks rising above a network of ice-drowned ridges about in extent, lying northwest of Murtaugh Peak in the Wisconsin Range of the Horlick Mountains, Antarctica. They were mapped by the U ...
, and
Ford Peak Ford Peak () is a rock peak, high, standing west of Mount Billing in the Prince Albert Mountains of Victoria Land, Antarctica. It was named by the Southern Party of the New Zealand Geological Survey Antarctic Expedition, 1962–63, for M.R.J. Ford ...
.
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
in the Detroit Metropolitan Area is named the
Edsel Ford Freeway
Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 1958 to the 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an ef ...
.
In September 1957, Ford Motor Company unveiled a new division of cars called
Edsel
Edsel is a discontinued division and brand of automobiles that was marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 1958 to the 1960 model years. Deriving its name from Edsel Ford, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effor ...
. The Edsel division included the
Citation,
Corsair,
Pacer,
Ranger
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
,
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, e ...
,
Villager, and
Roundup 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.
Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
![Mr and Mrs Edsel Ford cph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Mr_and_Mrs_Edsel_Ford_cph.3b29705.jpg)
In 1929, the Ford family moved into Gaukler Point, their new home designed by
Albert Kahn in 1929, on the shores of
Lake St. Clair
Lake St. Clair (french: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day ...
in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan. The
estate's gardens were designed by
landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...
Jens Jensen Jens Jensen may refer to:
* Jens Jensen (footballer) (1890–1957), Danish football (soccer) player who played one game for the Denmark national football team
* Jens Jensen (landscape architect) (1860–1951), Danish-born landscape architect in Chi ...
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.
He also designed the gardens for Edsel and Eleanor's summer estate Skylands in
Seal Harbor on
Mount Desert Island
Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous ...
in
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
.
[ Jensen designed work for their two other Michigan residences, one being Haven Hill, between 1922 and 1935.][ Haven Hill, now within the ]Highland Recreation Area
Highland State Recreation Area is a state recreation area in the southeast part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in north Oakland County, west of Pontiac.
''Haven Hill Natural Area'', within the Highland State Recreation Area, was ...
near White 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.
Edsel 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. Located on , the house has an excellent collection of the Fords' original antiques and art, and the historical landscape grounds on the lakefront. The museum currently hosts tours, classes, lectures, and special events. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
See also
* Ford family tree
The family of Henry Ford is an American family from the U.S. state of Michigan, best known for their control of the Ford Motor Company automobile manufacturer, which was founded by Henry Ford in the early-twentieth century. Henry's grandson Will ...
* Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is a mansion located at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, Grosse Pointe Shores, northeast of Detroit, Michigan; it stands on the site known as "Gaukler Point", on the shore of Lake St. Clair ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Official Edsel & Eleanor Ford 'Gaukler Point' house museum website.
Official Edsel & Eleanor Ford 'Haven Hill' estate museum website.
Detroit Institute of Arts.
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ford, Edsel
1893 births
1943 deaths
American art collectors
American chief executives of manufacturing companies
American automotive pioneers
Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Detroit)
Businesspeople from Detroit
Deaths from cancer in Michigan
Deaths from stomach cancer
Ford executives
Henry Ford family
Hotchkiss School alumni
Philanthropists from Michigan
People associated with the Detroit Institute of Arts
People from Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
20th-century American businesspeople
Ford people
Automotive businesspeople