Henry Ford Biography
Henry Ford is one of America’s foremost industrialists, radically changing the principle of the assembly line of automobiles. In 1908 Henry Ford created the Ford Model T car and after that continued to improve his way of conveyor assembly of cars, which later fundamentally changed the entire industry. As a result, Ford sold millions of cars and became the world-famous company leader. Over time, the company lost its dominance in the market, but had a huge impact on America’s technological progress and infrastructure.
Youth
The famous automaker Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863, at his family’s farm in Wayne County, near Dearborn, Michigan. When Ford was 13 years old, his father gave him pocket watches, which the little boy constantly disassembled and collected. Friends and neighbors were very surprised and often asked to repair their watches.
Unimpressed by agricultural work, Ford left the house at the age of 16, to train a robot driver in Detroit.
Early career
In 1888, Ford married Clare Al Bryant and temporarily returned to agriculture to feed his wife and son, Edsel. But three years later, he was hired as an engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company. In 1893, his natural talents allowed him to grow to the chief engineer.
All the while, Ford was nurturing his plans for a horseless carriage, and in 1896, he built his first model, the Ford Quadricycle. In the same year, he met with the Edison Company executives and presented his car developments personally to Thomas Edison, who encouraged Ford to build a second, improved model.
Ford Motor Company
After several tests of the car’s design, in 1903, Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company. Ford introduced Model T in October 1908, and over the next few years, the company achieved 100 percent profit.
Even more Ford became famous for his revolutionary vision of producing an inexpensive car made by skilled workers who earn a steady wage.
In
Philosophy, philanthropy and anti-Semitism
From a social point of view, Henry Ford had, at first glance, conflicting points of view. Ford established part of the company’s profits, employees who worked for the company for more than six months and, most importantly, to those who spent their lives in a respectable way.
“Social department of the company” studied bad habits, cravings for gambling and other negative aspects of candidates, when making a decision on employment. Ford was an ardent pacifist and opponent of the First World War, even financed peaceful ships to Europe. Later, in 1936, Ford and his family founded the Ford Foundation, to allocate grants for research, education and development. But despite these philanthropic inclinations, Ford was also a devoted anti-Semite, in all ways supporting the weekly newspaper The Dearborn Independent, which held the same views.
Henry Ford died on April 7, 1947, at the age of 83 from a brain hemorrhage, near his Dearborn estate, Fair Lane. Henry Ford is one of America’s greatest businessmen. It is very difficult to overestimate his contribution to the development of the American economy in the period of its formation. His legacy will live for many decades.
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