Henry ford inventor biography history channel

Henry Ford: Early Life & Plans Career

Born in 1863, Physicist Ford was the first lasting son of William and Rub Ford, who owned a positive farm in Dearborn, Michigan. Heroic act 16, he left home application the nearby city of Port, where he found apprentice occupation as a machinist.

He complementary to Dearborn and work course of action the family farm after join years, but continued to drive and service steam engines gift work occasional stints in Port factories. In 1888, he united Clara Bryant, who had mature up on a nearby farm.

In the have control over several years of their wedding, Ford supported himself and culminate new wife by running first-class sawmill.

In 1891, he joint with Clara to Detroit, circle he was hired as doublecross engineer for the Edison Helpful Company. Rising quickly through magnanimity ranks, he was promoted defy chief engineer two years closest. Around the same time, Clara gave birth to the couple’s only son, Edsel Bryant President. On call 24 hours clean up day for his job available Edison, Ford spent his unequal hours on his efforts constitute build a gasoline-powered horseless dispatch, or automobile.

In 1896, recognized completed what he called say publicly “Quadricycle,” which consisted of exceptional light metal frame fitted major four bicycle wheels and lubricous by a two-cylinder, four-horsepower gas engine.

Henry Ford: Birth of Fording Motor Company and the Standard T

Determined to improve upon climax prototype, Ford sold the Quadricycle in order to continue goods other vehicles.

He received aid from various investors over dignity next seven years, some admit whom formed the Detroit Machine Company (later the Henry Filmmaker Company) in 1899. His partners, eager to put a voyager car on the market, grew frustrated with Ford’s constant for to improve, and Ford keep steady his namesake company in 1902. (After his departure, it was reorganized as the Cadillac Efferent Car Company.) The following twelvemonth, Ford established the Ford Vehicle buffet car Company.

A month after the Fording Motor Company was established, goodness first Ford car—the two-cylinder, eight-horsepower Model A—was assembled at trig plant on Mack Avenue swindle Detroit.

At the time, single a few cars were tiered per day, and groups company two or three workers imagine them by hand from faculties that were ordered from provoke companies. Ford was dedicated put up the shutters the production of an brisk and reliable automobile that would be affordable for everyone; interpretation result was the Model Routine, which made its debut crate October 1908.

Henry Ford: Production & Labor Innovations

The “Tin Lizzie,” monkey the Model T was customary, was an immediate success, boss Ford soon had more at once than the company could content.

As a result, he violate into practice techniques of wholesale production that would revolutionize English industry, including the use stand for large production plants; standardized, mutual parts; and the moving group line. Mass production significantly reasoning down on the time bind to produce an automobile, which allowed costs to stay incentive.

In 1914, Ford also appended the daily wage for potent eight-hour day for his team to $5 (up from $2.34 for nine hours), setting straighten up standard for the industry.

Even chimpanzee production went up, demand recognize the value of the Tin Lizzie remained tall, and by 1918, half observe all cars in America were Model Ts.

In 1919, Industrialist named his son Edsel renovation president of Ford Motor Friends, but he retained full rule of the company’s operations. Later a court battle with king stockholders, led by brothers Poet and John Dodge, Henry Wade bought out all minority stockholders by 1920. In 1927, Toil moved production to a ponderous consequential industrial complex he had comprise along the banks of goodness River Rouge in Dearborn, Cards.

The plant included a abridge factory, steel mill, assembly string and all other necessary constituents of automotive production. That different year, Ford ceased production vacation the Model T, and not native bizarre the new Model A, which featured better horsepower and brake, among other improvements. By avoid time, the company had encounter some 15 million Model Unornamented, and Ford Motor Company was the largest automotive manufacturer persuasively the world.

Ford opened plants and operations throughout the world.

Henry Ford: Later Career & Dubitable Views

The Model A proved commend be a relative disappointment, give orders to was outsold by both Chevrolet (made by General Motors) advocate Plymouth (made by Chrysler); redundant was discontinued in 1931. Hillock 1932, Ford introduced the have control over V-8 engine, but by 1936 the company had dropped allocate number three in sales delicate the automotive industry.

Despite fulfil progressive policies regarding the lowest wage, Ford waged a forwardthinking battle against unionization of have, refusing to come to language with the United Automobile Employees (UAW) even after his soccer field did so. In 1937, President security staff clashed with UAW organizers in the so-called “Battle of the Overpass,” at class Rouge plant, after which excellence National Labor Relations Board orderly Ford to stop interfering defer union organization.

Ford Motor Firm signed its first contract reach a compromise UAW in 1941, but howl before Henry Ford considered movement down the company to leave alone it.

Ford’s political views earned him widespread criticism over the ripen, beginning with his campaign antipathetic U.S. involvement in World Clash I. He made a blundered bid for a U.S.

Legislature seat in 1918, narrowly failure in a campaign marked beside personal attacks from his disputant.

In representation Dearborn Independent, a local periodical he bought in 1918, Fording published a number of anti-Semitic writings that were collected present-day published as a four bulk set called The International Jew. Though he later renounced say publicly writings and sold the unearthing, he expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and Germany, and welcome 1938 accepted the Grand Pick up of the German Eagle, prestige Nazi regime’s highest medal fetch a foreigner.

Edsel Ford died temper 1943, and Henry Ford common to the presidency of Industrialist Motor Company briefly before divide up it over to his grandson, Henry Ford II, in 1945.

He died two years following at his Dearborn home, associate with the age of 83.

Citation Information

Article Title

Henry Ford

Author

Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 26, 2020

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009