Henry Ford

Author Code: AHFX

Ford's formal education extended to his sixteenth year, when he left school and went to Detroit where he took an apprenticeship in a machine shop. It was here he learned about the internal combustion engine. After a time with the Westinghouse Engine Company and running his own small machine shop, he took a position as chief engineer with the Detroit Edison Company. In 1896, he invented the 'quadricycle', which he sold to raise capital for further automotive creations. In 1903, Ford finally succeeded in producing a marketable automobile and set up the Ford Motor Company. In 1908, he introduced the Model T, which became the standard vehicle for Americans and was continually produced until 1927. In 1913, he introduced the first assembly line which cut production time and increased overall profitability. Ford also introduced the concept of a minimum wage. In 1918, Ford ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate with the backing of Woodrow Wilson. A fervent anti-Semite, Ford acquired the Dearborn Independent newspaper in 1918 and published a series of attacks on the 'International Jew', who he blamed for the war. By 1927, he sold the paper and formally retracted his earlier statements. Ford appointed his only son, Edsel, president of the company in 1919, but continued to exercise full control of the company. Coming under increasing competition from General Motors and Chrysler, Ford introduced the Model A in 1926, which was moderately successful. In 1932, Ford produced the first V-8 Ford car and the following year fought off efforts to unionize Ford plants. Nevertheless, by 1941, Ford was forced to sign a contract with the United Auto Workers.