Known for movies
Short Info
Net Worth | $199 billion |
Date Of Birth | July 30, 1863 |
Died | April 7, 1947, Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, United States |
Spouse | Clara Ala Bryant |
Fact | Pictured on the 12¢ US postage stamp in the original issue of the Prominent Americans series, issued 30 July 1968. |
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, and founder of the Ford Motor Company. He is credited with developing the assembly line technique of mass production, which revolutionized factory production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As the owner of the Ford Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is also remembered for his social and business views, including his opposition to organized labor.
Early Life
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on a farm in Greenfield Township, Michigan. His father, William Ford, was Irish and had immigrated to the United States in 1847. His mother, Mary Litogot Ford, was born in Michigan to Belgian parents.
Ford’s father gave him a pocket watch when he was fifteen. Henry took the watch apart and put it back together again. He became fascinated by machinery and decided that he wanted to become a machinist.
In 1879, Ford left home to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit. He saved his money and in 1888 he opened his own machine shop. He built his first gasoline engine in 1893.
Career
In 1896, Ford built his first car, the Quadricycle. He test-drove it around Detroit streets. People laughed at him, but he did not care. He was determined to build a better car.
In 1903, Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. The company’s first car was the Model A. It sold for $850. In 1908, Ford introduced the Model T. The car was simple to drive and easy to maintain. It quickly became popular. By 1927, half of all cars in America were Model Ts.
In 1913, Ford introduced the assembly line method of production. This made it possible to produce cars more quickly and at a lower cost.
During World War I, Ford became interested in politics. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1918, but he was not elected. In the 1920s, he became an outspoken critic of communism.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression caused many people to lose their jobs. Ford continued to produce cars, but he also began to produce other products, such as tractors and trucks. He also provided jobs for unemployed people by opening new factories.
During World War II, Ford again turned his factories over to war production. He produced jeeps, tanks, and airplanes for the military.
After the war, Ford returned to making cars. In 1947, he retired from active management of the company. He died later that year at the age of 83.
Net Worth
At the time of his death, Henry Ford’s net worth was estimated at $188 billion in today’s dollars.
Relationships
In 1888, Ford married Clara Bryant. The couple had one child, Edsel Ford. Clara died in 1950.
In later life, Ford became friends with Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. The three men often went on camping trips together.
Physical Characteristics
Henry Ford was 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 170 pounds. He had blue eyes and dark hair that turned gray as he got older.
General Info
Full Name | Henry Ford |
Net Worth | $199 billion |
Date Of Birth | July 30, 1863 |
Died | April 7, 1947, Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, United States |
Height | 1.78 m |
Profession | Entrepreneur, Industrialist, Business magnate, Engineer, Inventor, Businessperson |
Education | Detroit Business Institute |
Nationality | American |
Family
Spouse | Clara Ala Bryant |
Children | Edsel Ford |
Parents | William Ford, Mary Litogot Ford |
Siblings | William Ford, Jr., Jane Ford, Margaret Ford, Robert Ford |
Accomplishments
Awards | Order of the German Eagle, Elliott Cresson Medal |
Social profile links
Quotes
# | Quote |
---|---|
1 | When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it. |
2 | Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice. |
3 | [on friends] My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. |
4 | [on action] Don't find fault. Find a remedy. |
5 | Say you can or say you can't, either way you're right. |
6 | Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. |
7 | History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that's worth a tinker's dam is the history we make today. |
8 | You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do. |
9 | Every time I reduce the price of the car by one dollar I get one thousand new buyers. |
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | In July 1938, before the outbreak of World War II, the German consul in Cleveland gave Ford, on his 75th birthday, the award of the "Grand Cross of the German Eagle", the highest medal that Nazi Germany could bestow on a foreigner who sympathized with the Nazi cause. |
2 | In 1922 "The New York Times" reported that Adolf Hitler's office contained a large picture of Ford. A well-thumbed copy of "The International Jew" was found in his library. It was a four-volume set of booklets and pamphlets published and distributed in the early 1920s by Ford. The rabidly anti-Ssemitc texts first appeared in Ford's own newspaper, "The Dearborn Independent". The paper reached a circulation of 900,000 by 1925, second only to the "New York Daily News", largely due to a quota system for promotion imposed on Ford dealers. Lawsuits regarding anti-Semitic material published in the paper caused Ford to close it, and the last issue was published in December 1927. |
3 | Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1967. |
4 | Grandfather of Henry Ford II, Benson Ford, and William Clay Ford. |
5 | Father of Edsel Ford. |
6 | Candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan in 1918. |
7 | The only American favorably mentioned in Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf". |
8 | Pictured on the 12¢ US postage stamp in the original issue of the Prominent Americans series, issued 30 July 1968. |
Movies
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Because of Love | 1936 | uncredited |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The American Road | 1953 | Documentary short | Himself (home movie footage) (uncredited) |
Til Vesterheimen | 1939 | Documentary | Himself |
Animated Weekly, No. 40 | 1916 | Documentary short | Himself |
Animated Weekly, No. 1 | 1916 | Documentary short | Himself |
Mutual Weekly, No. 44 | 1915 | Short | Himself |
Pathé News, No. 86 | 1915 | Short | Himself |
Archive Footage
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Edison | 2015 | Himself | |
AmeriCarna | 2014 | TV Series | Himself |
American Experience | 1990-2013 | TV Series documentary | Himself / Himself - Former CEO of The Ford Motor Car Company |
Brothers on the Line | 2012 | Documentary | Himself |
Geheimnisse des 'Dritten Reichs' | 2011 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
CBS News Sunday Morning | 2009 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Apocalypse - La 2ème guerre mondiale | 2009 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
Modern Marvels | 2000-2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
The Tramp and the Dictator | 2002 | Documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
Ils ont filmé la guerre en couleur | 2000 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
Biography of the Millennium: 100 People - 1000 Years | 1999 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself - #29 |
The Century: America's Time | 1999 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg | 1998 | Documentary | Himself |
A Science Odyssey | 1998 | TV Series | Himself |
Empires of Industry | 1998 | TV Series | Himself |
American Masters | 1997 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America | 1997 | TV Movie documentary | Himself (uncredited) |
The Shadow of Hate | 1995 | Documentary short | Himself |
Biography | 1994 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
American Justice: Target - Mafia | 1993 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
The Great Depression | 1993 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Unser Auto wird 100 | 1985 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Hollywood Babylon | 1972 | Himself (uncredited) | |
I Never Forget a Face | 1956 | Short documentary | Himself |
This Was Yesterday | 1954 | Documentary short | Himself |
The Golden Twenties | 1950 | Documentary | Himself |
Panama-Pacific International Exhibition | 1940 | Short | Himself |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia