Known for movies

Short Info

Net Worth$199 billion
Date Of BirthJuly 30, 1863
DiedApril 7, 1947, Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, United States
SpouseClara Ala Bryant
FactPictured 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 NameHenry Ford
Net Worth$199 billion
Date Of BirthJuly 30, 1863
DiedApril 7, 1947, Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, United States
Height1.78 m
ProfessionEntrepreneur, Industrialist, Business magnate, Engineer, Inventor, Businessperson
EducationDetroit Business Institute
NationalityAmerican

Family

SpouseClara Ala Bryant
ChildrenEdsel Ford
ParentsWilliam Ford, Mary Litogot Ford
SiblingsWilliam Ford, Jr., Jane Ford, Margaret Ford, Robert Ford

Accomplishments

AwardsOrder of the German Eagle, Elliott Cresson Medal

Social profile links

Quotes

#Quote
1When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
2Chop 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.
5Say you can or say you can't, either way you're right.
6Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
7History 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.
8You can't build a reputation on what you're going to do.
9Every time I reduce the price of the car by one dollar I get one thousand new buyers.

Facts

#Fact
1In 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.
2In 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.
3Inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1967.
4Grandfather of Henry Ford II, Benson Ford, and William Clay Ford.
5Father of Edsel Ford.
6Candidate for U.S. Senator from Michigan in 1918.
7The only American favorably mentioned in Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf".
8Pictured on the 12¢ US postage stamp in the original issue of the Prominent Americans series, issued 30 July 1968.

Movies

Actor

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Because of Love1936uncredited

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The American Road1953Documentary shortHimself (home movie footage) (uncredited)
Til Vesterheimen1939DocumentaryHimself
Animated Weekly, No. 401916Documentary shortHimself
Animated Weekly, No. 11916Documentary shortHimself
Mutual Weekly, No. 441915ShortHimself
Pathé News, No. 861915ShortHimself

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Edison2015Himself
AmeriCarna2014TV SeriesHimself
American Experience1990-2013TV Series documentaryHimself / Himself - Former CEO of The Ford Motor Car Company
Brothers on the Line2012DocumentaryHimself
Geheimnisse des 'Dritten Reichs'2011TV Series documentaryHimself
CBS News Sunday Morning2009TV Series documentaryHimself
Apocalypse - La 2ème guerre mondiale2009TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
Modern Marvels2000-2005TV Series documentaryHimself
The Tramp and the Dictator2002DocumentaryHimself (uncredited)
Ils ont filmé la guerre en couleur2000TV Movie documentaryHimself (uncredited)
Biography of the Millennium: 100 People - 1000 Years1999TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself - #29
The Century: America's Time1999TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg1998DocumentaryHimself
A Science Odyssey1998TV SeriesHimself
Empires of Industry1998TV SeriesHimself
American Masters1997TV Series documentaryHimself
Prohibition: Thirteen Years That Changed America1997TV Movie documentaryHimself (uncredited)
The Shadow of Hate1995Documentary shortHimself
Biography1994TV Series documentaryHimself
American Justice: Target - Mafia1993TV Mini-Series documentaryHimself
The Great Depression1993TV Series documentaryHimself
Unser Auto wird 1001985TV Series documentaryHimself
Hollywood Babylon1972Himself (uncredited)
I Never Forget a Face1956Short documentaryHimself
This Was Yesterday1954Documentary shortHimself
The Golden Twenties1950DocumentaryHimself
Panama-Pacific International Exhibition1940ShortHimself

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

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