Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was a pioneering American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company. He revolutionized the automobile industry by introducing methods of mass production and assembly line manufacturing, making cars affordable for the average American and profoundly shaping modern industry.
Early Life
- Born: July 30, 1863, in Dearborn, Michigan, USA.
- Parents: William Ford and Mary Litogot Ford, farmers of Irish and Belgian descent.
- From a young age, Ford was fascinated by machines. He left the family farm at 16 to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit.
Career Highlights
Ford Motor Company
Founded: 1903, with backing from investors.
Breakthrough Model: The Model T, introduced in 1908.
Affordable, durable, and easy to repair
Sold over 15 million units.
Assembly Line Innovation
In 1913, Ford introduced the moving assembly line to automobile production.
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- Reduced time to build a car from over 12 hours to just 1.5 hours.
- Drastically cut costs and increased efficiency.
$5 Workday
In 1914, Ford shocked the world by doubling worker wages to $5 per day and reducing shifts to 8 hours.
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- Boosted worker loyalty and productivity.
- Allowed workers to afford the very cars they built.
Impact
- Made car ownership accessible to middle-class Americans.
- Revolutionized industrial production worldwide.
- Influenced labor policies and urban development (e.g., roads, suburbs).
Personal Life and Legacy
- Married Clara Jane Bryant in 1888; they had one son, Edsel Ford.
- Died on April 7, 1947, in Dearborn, Michigan.
- Legacy includes:
- Ford Foundation (philanthropy)
- Ford Motor Company (still family-linked today)
- Historical landmarks like The Henry Ford Museum.
Controversies
- Ford held anti-Semitic views, publishing them in The Dearborn Independent newspaper.
- He received the Grand Cross of the German Eagle from Nazi Germany in 1938.
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