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Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, in Dearborn, Michigan. His parents were William and Mary Ford. During his childhood Ford showed an interest in mechanics and later became a machinist's apprentice to enhance his skills. After his apprenticeship he used these skills in the repairing and operating of steam engines. Ford married Clara Jane Bryant in 1888. Due to his interest in the "horseless carriage" he built a four-wheeled vehicle with a two-cylinder motor in 1896. During the years of 1899 and 1902, Ford was involved in two automotive companies. The first was the Detroit Automobile Company, which failed, and the second being the Henry Ford Company which later became known as The Cadillac Motor Company. In 1903 Ford, along with Alex Y. Malcomson and others, created the Ford Motor Company which Ford owned 25.5 per cent of its stock. Due to a disagreement Henry Ford decided to buy Malcomson out giving him 58.5 per cent of the company's stock. In 1908 the Ford Motor Company introduced the Model T and made the production more productive in 1913 by the introduction of the assembly-line system of manufacturing. With this manufacturing method the Ford Motor Company acquired large profits which made it possible for the introduction of the five-dollar-a-day minimum wage in 1914. When the United States entered World War I, Ford used all of the company facilities for the production of war materials. In 1919 Henry Ford purchased all of the minority stocks and became the sole owner of the corporation. Ford purchased the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, that his son Edsel managed. During these early twenties the Model T saw its greatest success. This came to an end when Ford was slow to adopt advances made by his competitors which caused the suspending of production, in 1927, of the Model T. |
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