Biographical Summary:

"...Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was a prominent American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism", that is, mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America, and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation but arranged for his family to control the company permanently..."

Family:

"...Ford was born July 30, 1863, on a farm in Greenfield Township (near Detroit, Michigan). His father, William Ford (1826–1905), was born in County Cork, Ireland, of a family originally from western England, who were among migrants to Ireland as the English created plantations. His mother, Mary Litogot Ford (1839–1876), was born in Michigan; she was the youngest child of Belgian immigrants; her parents died when Mary was a child and she was adopted by neighbors, the O'Herns.

Henry Ford's siblings include:

1. Margaret Ford (1867–1938);
2. Jane Ford (c. 1868–1945);
3. William Ford (1871–1917)
4. Robert Ford (1873–1934).

Marriage:

Ford married Clara Ala Bryant (c. 1865–1950) in the year 1888 and supported himself by farming and running a sawmill.

Children:

1. Edsel Ford (1893–1943)

"...The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908. It had the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied..."

"...Always on the hunt for more efficiency and lower costs, in 1913 Ford introduced the moving assembly belts into his plants, which enabled an enormous increase in production. Although Ford is often credited with the idea, contemporary sources indicate that the concept and its development came from employees..."

"...Ford was adamantly against labor unions...To forestall union activity, Ford promoted Harry Bennett, a former Navy boxer, to head the Service Department. Bennett employed various intimidation tactics to squash union organizing.[34] The most famous incident, in 1937, was a bloody brawl between company security men and organizers that became known as The Battle of the Overpass...."

"...Ford, like other automobile companies, entered the aviation business during World War I, building Liberty engines..."

For one discussion of Ford and accusations of anti-semitism see The Dearborn Independent

"...When Edsel, president of Ford Motor Company, died of cancer in May 1943, the elderly and ailing Henry Ford decided to assume the presidency..."

"...In ill health, Ford ceded the presidency to his grandson Henry Ford II in September 1945 and went into retirement. He died in 1947 of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 83 in Fair Lane, his Dearborn estate. A public viewing was held at Greenfield Village where up to 5,000 people per hour filed past the casket. Funeral services were held in Detroit's Cathedral Church of St. Paul and he was buried in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Henry Ford', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 June 2011, 19:12 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Ford&oldid=435323352> [accessed 24 June 2011]

Additional Information:

• http://www.nndb.com/people/294/000027213/
• http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=352