This article is about the automobile executive. For other uses, see Edsel Ford (disambiguation).
Edsel Ford
Ford in 1921
Born
Edsel Bryant Ford
(1893-11-06)November 6, 1893
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died
May 26, 1943(1943-05-26) (aged 49)
Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation
Automobile executive
Title
President of the Ford Motor Company (1919–1943)[1]
Spouse
Eleanor Lowthian Clay
(m. 1916)
Children
Henry II
Benson
Josephine
William
Parent(s)
Henry Ford Clara Jane Bryant Ford
Relatives
Edsel Ford II (grandson) William Clay Ford Jr. (grandson)
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the only child of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Jane Bryant Ford. He was the president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943.
He worked closely with his father, as sole heir to the business, but was keen to develop cars more exciting than the Model T ("Tin Lizzie"), in line with his personal tastes. Even as president, he had trouble persuading his father to allow any departure from this formula. Only a change in market conditions enabled him to develop the more fashionable Model A in 1927. Edsel also founded the Mercury division and was responsible for the Lincoln-Zephyr and Lincoln Continental. He introduced important features, such as hydraulic brakes, and greatly strengthened the company's overseas production.
Ford was a major art benefactor in Detroit and also financed Admiral Richard Byrd's polar explorations. He died of stomach cancer aged 49. Henry Ford temporarily reassumed the presidency of Ford on Edsel's death, then Edsel's eldest son, Henry Ford II, succeeded Henry as president of Ford in 1945.
He was also a member of the board of directors of American IG, the American subsidiary of the German chemical conglomerate IG Farben.
^"Henry Ford". Ford Motor Co. Archived from the original on April 5, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-14. The years between the world wars were a period of hectic expansion. In 1917, Ford Motor Company began producing trucks and tractors. In 1919, a conflict with stockholders over the millions to be spent building the giant Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michigan, led to the company becoming wholly owned by Henry Ford and his son, Edsel, who then succeeded his father as president. After Edsel Ford died in 1943, a saddened Henry Ford resumed the presidency. Henry Ford resigned for the second time at the end of World War II. His oldest grandson, Henry Ford II, became president on September 21, 1945. Even as Henry Ford II drove the industry's first postwar car off the assembly line, he was making plans to reorganize and decentralize the company to resume its prewar position as a major force in a fiercely competitive auto industry. Henry Ford II provided strong leadership for Ford Motor Company from the postwar era into the 1980s. He was president from 1945 until 1960 and chief executive officer from 1945 until 1979. He was chairman of the board of directors from 1960 until 1980, and remained as chairman of the finance committee from 1980 until his death in 1987.
Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was an American business executive and philanthropist who was the only child of pioneering industrialist...
Edsel Bryant Ford II (born December 27, 1948) is the great-grandson of Henry Ford I, grandson of EdselFord I, and the only son of Henry Ford II. He served...
years. Deriving its name from EdselFord, son of company founder Henry Ford, Edsels were developed in an effort to give Ford a fourth brand to gain additional...
The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is a mansion located at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores, northeast of Detroit, Michigan; it stands on the...
automotive industry. He was the oldest son of EdselFord I and oldest grandson of Henry Ford. He was president of the Ford Motor Company from 1945 to 1960, Chief...
The Edsel Ranger is an automobile that was produced and sold by the newly formed Edsel Division of Ford for the 1958–1960 model years. It was built on...
EdselFord Fung (often spelled Fong) (May 6, 1927 – April 24, 1984) was an American restaurant server from San Francisco, California. He was called the...
Benson Ford Sr. (July 20, 1919 – July 27, 1978), originally named EdselFord Jr, was an American businessman in the automotive industry, a vice-president...
himself by farming and running a sawmill. They had one child, EdselFord (1893–1943). In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company...
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by EdselFord and his father Henry...
Ford and the Ranger. Pacer is one of two Edsel model names reused by manufacturers other than Ford, as was Citation. The Corsair, a 1958-only Edsel model...
The Edsel Citation is an automobile that was produced by the Edsel division of Ford for the 1958 model year. The flagship Edsel model line, the Citation...
Ranger platform with Ford. The Corsair represented the next-to-highest trim level available within the Edsel brand. It rode on Edsel's 124 in (3150 mm) wheelbase...
formerly owned by Ford, such as Lincoln, Mercury, Edsel and Merkur. N-series NAA (a.k.a.; Golden Jubilee) 600 Series Workmaster Powermaster Ford *000 "Thousand"...
Sections through the Detroit area are named the Detroit Industrial and EdselFord freeways. I-94 in the state is either a four- or six-lane freeway for...
Henry Ford from April 11, 1888, until his death on April 7, 1947, four days shy of their 59th wedding anniversary. They had one child: EdselFord (1893–1943)...
The Edsel Bermuda is a station wagon that was produced and sold by Edsel in 1958. Like the Edsel Villager and Edsel Roundup station wagons, the Bermuda...
EdselFord High School is a public high school located in Dearborn, Michigan, USA in Metro Detroit. EdselFord, located on Rotunda Drive, near Oakwood...
products for the war effort. 1943: EdselFord dies of cancer at the age of 49, Henry Ford resumes presidency. 1945: Henry Ford II becomes president. 1945: Lincoln...
remained at the company, with EdselFord given responsibility over it. While Ford had sought to expand its model range beyond the Ford Model T, the purchase of...
child of EdselFord and his wife Eleanor Lowthian (née Clay) Ford. Her siblings included Henry Ford II, who also served as chairman and CEO of Ford Motors...
popular models was the two-door Victoria, which was largely designed by EdselFord. It was a smaller version of the Lincoln Victoria coupe, built on the...
between 1958 and 1976. The FE, derived from 'Ford-Edsel', was introduced just four years into the short-lived Ford Y-block engine, which American cars and...
Martha Firestone Ford on June 23, 2020. Sheila Firestone Ford was born to William Clay Ford Sr. (son of EdselFord and grandson of Henry Ford) and Martha Firestone...
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