Edsel Ford | |
|---|---|
 Ford in 1921 | |
| Born | Edsel Bryant Ford November 6, 1893 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 1943 (aged 49) |
| Occupation | Automobile executive |
| Title | President of the Ford Motor Company (1919–1943)[1] |
| Spouse |
Eleanor Lowthian Clay
(m. 1916) |
| Children | |
| Parent(s) | Henry Ford Clara Jane Bryant Ford |
| Relatives | Edsel Ford II (grandson) William Clay Ford Jr. (grandson) |
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the only child of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company 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 ("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 division and was responsible for the Lincoln-Zephyr and Lincoln Continental. 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, succeeded Henry as president of Ford in 1945.
He was also a member of the board of directors of American IG, the American subsidiary of the German chemical conglomerate IG Farben.
- ^ "Henry Ford". Ford Motor Co. Archived from the original on April 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
The years between the world wars were a period of hectic expansion. In 1917, Ford Motor Company began producing trucks and tractors. In 1919, a conflict with stockholders over the millions to be spent building the giant Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michigan, led to the company becoming wholly owned by Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, who then succeeded his father as president. After Edsel Ford died in 1943, a saddened Henry Ford resumed the presidency. Henry Ford resigned for the second time at the end of World War II. His oldest grandson, Henry Ford II, became president on September 21, 1945. Even as Henry Ford II drove the industry's first postwar car off the assembly line, he was making plans to reorganize and decentralize the company to resume its prewar position as a major force in a fiercely competitive auto industry. Henry Ford II provided strong leadership for Ford Motor Company from the postwar era into the 1980s. He was president from 1945 until 1960 and chief executive officer from 1945 until 1979. He was chairman of the board of directors from 1960 until 1980, and remained as chairman of the finance committee from 1980 until his death in 1987.