Henry Ford
Born 1863 · Age 162
American industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company; pioneer of mass production (Fordism), maker of the Model T, controversial political views including pacifism and anti-Semitic publications.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Springwells Township, Michigan
Henry Ford born to William and Mary Ford on the family farm near Dearborn (Springwells Township).
Receives pocket watch; first exposure to steam engine
At age 12 Ford received a pocket watch and saw a Nichols and Shepard road engine — influenced his mechanical interests.
Leaves farm for Detroit apprenticeships
Left home to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit (Flowers Brothers Machine Shop and later Detroit Dry Dock Company).
Completes apprenticeship; works for Westinghouse
Completed machinist apprenticeship and spent a year setting up/repairing Westinghouse steam engines in southern Michigan.
Married Clara Jane Bryant
Married Clara Bryant (on her 22nd birthday) and supported himself running a sawmill and on the family farm.
Joins Edison Illuminating Company
Employed as an engineer at Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit (later promoted to chief engineer).
Becomes Chief Engineer at Edison
Promoted to chief engineer at the Detroit Edison plant, giving him time and resources to work on gasoline engines.
Birth of son Edsel Bryant Ford
Clara gives birth to their only child, Edsel Bryant Ford.
Completes Quadricycle (first automobile)
Completed and test-drove his first self-propelled vehicle, the Ford Quadricycle.
Founding: Detroit Automobile Company
Resigned from Edison and (with investors including William H. Murphy) founded the Detroit Automobile Company; later dissolved in Jan 1901.
Racing victory over Alexander Winton
Won a 10-mile race in Grosse Pointe (in Sweepstakes), establishing his reputation in automotive circles.
Founding: Henry Ford Company
Investors formed the Henry Ford Company with Ford as chief engineer; he left the firm in early 1902 (it became Cadillac).
Departs Henry Ford Company (which becomes Cadillac)
Left the company that bore his name after dispute with investors and arrival of Henry Leland as consultant.
Founding: Ford Motor Company (incorporated)
Ford and partners (including Alexander Malcomson, Dodge brothers, John Gray, James Couzens) incorporated Ford Motor Company with $28,000 capital.
First Ford car sold
The first car built by Ford Motor Company was sold in mid-July 1903.
Sets speed record with '999'
Drove the racer '999' to a world-record mile (39.4 seconds) on Lake St. Clair ice (reported speed ~91.3 mph in some accounts).
Becomes president and controlling owner of Ford Motor Company
By 1906 Henry had become president and the controlling owner of the firm.
Launch: Ford Model T introduced
The Model T debuted — simple, affordable, and later central to mass motorization.
Applied for transmission mechanism patent
Applied for a new transmission mechanism used in Model T and other vehicles (patent awarded 1911).
Patent awarded for transmission mechanism
Patent granted for the transmission mechanism used in the Model T and other automobiles.
Introduced moving assembly line at Highland Park
Assembly-line production (moving belts) implemented, dramatically increasing output and lowering costs.
Model T sales pass 250,000
Rapid sales growth — Model T sales exceed 250,000 in 1914 due to mass production efficiencies.
Announces $5-per-day wage
Ford announced $5 daily wage for eligible workers (for eight-hour day), more than doubling typical pay.
Peace Ship expedition announced
Called a press conference to announce the pacifist 'Peace Ship' mission to Europe (stunt failed).
Model T sales reach ~472,000
By 1916, as price dropped to about $360, sales reached roughly 472,000 units.
Half of US cars are Model Ts (c.1918)
By 1918, around half of all cars in the United States were Model Ts.
Resigns presidency; Edsel becomes president
Henry resigned the presidency; his son Edsel was elected president (assumed role Jan 1, 1919) though Henry retained veto power.
Buys out minority shareholders; family gains sole ownership
Henry, Clara, and Edsel acquired the interests of minority stockholders and gained sole ownership of Ford Motor Company.
Purchases The Dearborn Independent (operating)
Owned and used The Dearborn Independent (already purchased 1918) to publish controversial articles—later compiled as The International Jew.
Begins publishing 'The International Jew' series
Started a series of antisemitic articles in The Dearborn Independent titled 'The International Jew: The World's Problem.'
Acquires Lincoln Motor Company
Purchased Lincoln (founded by Henry Leland) to expand into luxury cars; Lelands later expelled from management.
Publication: My Life and Work
Co-wrote My Life and Work (1922) with Samuel Crowther describing Ford's industrial and social theories.
Implements five-day, 40-hour workweek
Ford Motor Company's factory workers switched to a five-day, 40-hour workweek (office workers followed in August).
First flight: Ford Trimotor (first flown June 11, 1926)
The Ford 4-AT Trimotor ('Tin Goose') first flew; became a successful early U.S. passenger airliner.
15-millionth Model T rolls off the line
Ceremonial production of the 15,000,000th Model T at Highland Park; announced production of successor (Model A).
Founding attempt: Purchase of land for Fordlandia (Brazil)
Purchased land in Brazil to establish rubber plantations and the Fordlandia project (effort to secure rubber supply).
First Model A assembled (Model A launch)
After shutting down Highland Park and retooling (laid off ~60,000), the first Model A was assembled (Oct 21) launching production of Model A.
Opens Thomas Edison Institute (Greenfield Village/Henry Ford Museum)
Unveiled the Thomas Edison Institute and Greenfield Village during Edison's 50th anniversary celebration.
Stock Market Crash (Great Depression begins)
Market crash impacted Ford Motor Company and broader economy; Ford later instituted $7 day in Dec 1929.
Institutes $7-per-day wage
In an effort to help workers during early Depression, instituted $7 day (late 1929).
Publication: Moving Forward and Edison, As I Know Him (1930)
Published Moving Forward (1930) and Edison, As I Know Him (1930) with Samuel Crowther.
Launch: Flathead V8 engine
Introduced the affordable Ford flathead V8 (result of secret project begun ~1930) giving Ford performance reputation.
Ford Airplane Division closes
Ford Airplane Division shut down due to poor sales during the Great Depression (Trimotor production ended).
Battle of the Overpass (violent attack on UAW organizers)
Ford security (Harry Bennett's men) beat UAW organizers at the Rouge plant; photographs caused national outrage.
75th birthday pageant and public celebration
Large celebration (40,000 spectators) re-enacting scenes from Ford's life at Ford Field in Dearborn.
Public opposition to US entry into WWII; America First Committee membership
Prominent early member of America First Committee opposing U.S. involvement; resigned from executive board due to controversy.
Large plant strike; 50,000 employees walk out
In April 1941, 50,000 Ford employees refused to work at the Rouge until union demands were met.
Breaks ground for Willow Run aircraft plant
Responding to Roosevelt's call for 'Arsenal of Democracy', Ford builds Willow Run for B-24 production (ground broken spring 1941).
Ford signs UAW contract (first contract)
Under pressure from Edsel, unions and government, Ford signed a contract giving UAW favorable terms (June 1941).
B-24 component production begins at Willow Run
B-24 component production started in May 1942; first complete B-24 rolled off the assembly line Oct 1942.
Death of Edsel Ford
Edsel Ford died of stomach cancer at age 49; Henry Ford nominally resumed control of the company.
Re-elected president of Ford Motor Company
After Edsel's death Henry Ford was re-elected president (June 1, 1943) though debilitated by strokes and aging.
Willow Run peak production (650 B-24s/month)
At peak in 1944 Willow Run produced about 650 B-24s per month; Ford produced roughly half of the wartime total (9,000 B-24s).
Charles Sorensen forced out
Henry Ford grew jealous of publicity around Charles Sorensen and forced him out in 1944 as Sorensen had been a key executive.
Transfers control to grandson Henry Ford II
Under pressure from family (Clara and Edsel's widow) Henry ceded control of company to his grandson Henry Ford II in 1945.
Henry Ford II sells Fordlandia back to Brazil
Henry Ford II sold Fordlandia back to Brazil for a fraction of its value, effectively ending the rubber plantation experiment.
Lauded at Automotive Golden Jubilee; giant 83rd birthday party
Honored at Automotive Golden Jubilee; in July 1946 some 50,000 people cheered him at an 83rd birthday celebration in Dearborn.
Receives American Petroleum Institute Gold Medal
Awarded the American Petroleum Institute's first Gold Medal for outstanding contributions to the welfare of humanity.
Death at Fair Lane estate
Died at his residence Fair Lane in Dearborn, Michigan, following a cerebral hemorrhage; left most wealth to Ford Foundation.
Posthumous recognition: U.S. postage stamp
In 1965 the U.S. government featured Henry Ford with a Model T on a postage stamp in the Prominent Americans series.
Posthumous induction: National Aviation Hall of Fame
Inducted posthumously into the National Aviation Hall of Fame for impact on aviation (Ford Trimotor and aircraft work).
Fortune names him 'Businessman of the Century' (posthumous)
Fortune magazine named Henry Ford the Businessman of the Century (posthumous recognition for historic impact).
Key Achievement Ages
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