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Henry Ford

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/* Early years */
[[Image:HenryFord.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Henry Ford and his Model T ]]'''Henry Ford''' (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the [[Ford Motor Company]] and of modern mass production and assembly line techniques. His introduction in 1908 of the [[Model T]] Ford automobile revolutionized transportation and, indeed, American industry. As sole owner of the Ford Company he became one of the three or four richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "[[Fordism]]," that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles, coupled with high wages for his workers—notably the $5.00 a day pay scale adopted in 1914. Fordism promoted the consumer culture based on high income workers who could afford to buy cars at a time when only the rich in Europe owned an automobile.
Ford, though poorly educated, had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America, and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the [[Ford Foundation]], but which was taken over by his [[liberal]] son and has been devoted to leftist causes ever since, even though Henry Ford would have strongly opposed that. Henry Ford arranged for his family to permanently control the Ford company after his death.
He was a hero to conservatives for his entrepreneurship and positive impact on society; he opposed the [[New Deal]] but was tarnished by his writing criticisms of Jews in the 1920s.
Upon his marriage to Clara Ala Bryant in 1888, Ford supported himself by farming and running a sawmill. They had a single child: [[Edsel Ford]] (1893-1943).
In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company, and after his promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893, he had enough time and money to devote attention to his personal experiments on gasoline engines. In 1896 he built a self-propelled vehicle named the Quadricycle, and continuously worked to improve it.<ref> See [http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/showroom/1896/quad.htmlSee] </ref> At this time Ford gained national fame as a racing car driver, leading to connections with investors who wanted to set him up in business. Ford considered [[Thomas Edison]] his mentor; the two would later become friends, even purchasing neighboring houses in [[Fort Myers, Florida]] as winter retreats (the houses are now owned by the city as a tourist attraction).
== Ford Motor Company ==
In 1903 Ford, with 11 other investors and $28,000 in capital, incorporated the [[Ford Motor Company]]. In a newly-designed car, Ford drove an exhibition in which the racer covered the distance of a mile on the ice of Lake St. Clair in 39.4 seconds (91.3 MPH), which was a new land speed record. Race driver Barney Oldfield exhibited the car around the country, publicizing the the Ford brand.
===$5 dollar wage===
Ford astonished the world in 1914 by offering a $5 a day wage that more than doubled the rate of most of his workers. The move proved extremely profitable. Instead of constant turnover of employees, the best mechanics in Detroit flocked to Ford, bringing in their human capital and expertise, raising productivity, and lowering training costs. Ford called it "wage motive." The company's use of [[vertical integration]] also proved successful, as Ford built a gigantic factory that shipped in raw materials and shipped out finished automobiles.
The [[Model T]] was introduced on October 1, 1908. It had many important innovations&mdash;such as the steering wheel on the left, which every other company soon copied. The entire engine and transmission were enclosed; the 4 cylinders were cast in a solid block; the suspension used two semi-elliptic springs. It had 20 horsepower and high wheels, so it could handle the muddy unpaved roads that typified the countryside. It could cruise at 45 miles per hour, getting about 10 miles per gallon of gasoline. There were two forward gears and one reverse gear. A hand crank was used to start it. The car was very simple to drive, and&mdash;more important&mdash;easy and cheap to repair. It was so cheap at $825 in 1908 (the price fell every year) that by the 1920s a majority of American drivers learned to drive on the Model T, leaving fond memories for millions. Ford created a massive publicity machine in Detroit to ensure every newspaper carried stories and ads about the new product. Ford's network of local dealers made the car ubiquitous in virtually every city in North America. As independent dealers the franchises grew rich and publicized not just the Ford but the very concept of automobiling; local motor clubs sprang up to help new drivers and to explore the countryside. Ford was always eager to sell to farmers, who looked on the vehicle as a commercial device to help their business. Sales skyrocketed&mdash;several years posted 100 gains on the previous year. Always on the hunt for more efficiency and lower costs, in 1913 Ford introduced the moving assembly belts into his plants, which enabled an enormous increase in production. Sales passed 250,000 in 1914. By 1916, as the price dropped to $360 for the basic touring car, sales reached 472,000.<ref>Lewis 1976, pp 41-59</ref>
By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T's. As Ford wrote in his autobiography, "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black".<ref> See [httphttps://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/hnfrd10.txt Ford, ''My Life and Work''], Chapter IV</ref> Model T's rolled off the assembly line until 1927; the total production run was 15,007,034 cars.
In 1918 President [[Woodrow Wilson]] personally asked Ford to run for the Senate from Michigan as a Democrat. Although the nation was at war Ford ran as a peace candidate and a strong supporter of the proposed [[League of Nations]].<ref> Watts, pp 243-48</ref> In December 1918 Ford turned the presidency of Ford Motor Company over to his son [[Edsel Ford]]. Henry, however, retained final decision authority and sometimes reversed Edsel. The two purchased all remaining stock from other investors, thus giving the family sole ownership of the company.
By the mid-1920s, sales of the Model T began to decline due to rising competition. Other auto makers, especially General Motors, offered payment plans through which consumers could buy their cars; they offered a full range of vehicles from the cheapest to the most elaborate, instead of the one-size-fits-all Model T. Consumers eagerly paid more for more modern mechanical features and styling. Despite urgings from Edsel, Henry steadfastly refused to incorporate new features into the Model T or to form a customer credit plan.
=== Ford's labor philosophy ===
Henry Ford was a pioneer of "[[welfare capitalism]]" designed to improve the lot of his workers and especially to reduce the heavy turnover that had many departments hiring 300 men a year to fill 100 slots. Efficiency meant hiring and keeping the best workers. On [[January 5]], [[1914]], Ford announced his five-dollar a day program. The revolutionary program called for a reduction in length of the workday from 9 to 8 hours, a 5 -day work week, and a raise in minimum daily pay from $2.34 to $5 for qualifying workers.<ref>Samuel Crowther [http://www.worklessparty.org/timework/ford.htm HENRY FORD: Why I Favor Five Days' Work With Six Days' Pay] World's Work, October 1926 pp. 613-616</ref>
Ford had been criticized by Wall Street for starting the 40 hour work week and a minimum wage. He proved, however, that paying people more would enable Ford workers to afford the cars they were producing, and therefore be good for the economy. Ford labeled the increased compensation as profit-sharing rather than wages. The wage was offered to men over age 22, who had worked at the company for 6 months or more, and, importantly, conducted their lives in a manner of which Ford's "Sociological Department" approved. They frowned on heavy drinking and gambling. The Sociological Department used 150 investigators and support staff to maintain employee standards; a large percentage of workers were able to qualify for the profit-sharing.
In 1915, Jewish pacifist [[Rosika Schwimmer]] worked with Ford, who funded a peace ship to Europe, where World War I was raging, for himself and about 170 other prominent peace leaders. He talked to President [[Woodrow Wilson]] about the trip but had no government support. His group went to neutral Sweden and the Netherlands to meet with peace activists there. Ford, the target of much ridicule, left the ship as soon as it reached Sweden.
==Dearborn Independent and Anti-Semitism==
In 1918, Ford's closest aide and private secretary, Ernest G. Liebold, purchased an obscure weekly newspaper, ''The Dearborn Independent''. By In 1920, from May 22 to October 2, it ran numerous antisemitic articles under Ford's name. Ford never wrote any of them, but he knew the contents. <ref>[https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_International_Jew]</ref> The ''Independent'' ran for eight years, from 1920 until 1927, during which Liebold was editor. The newspaper published "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion" which was discredited as a forgery during the ''Independent'''s publishing run by ''The Times'' of London.<ref> Baldwin (2000)</ref>
Denounced by the [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL), the articles nevertheless explicitly condemned pogroms and violence against Jews (Volume 4, Chapter 80), preferring to blame incidents of mass violence on the Jews themselves. None of this work was actually written by Ford, who apparently could barely read beyond the fifth grade level.<ref> Asked at the trial to read an editorial Ford refused; he said he only read headlines. He demanded that all business reports be made to him orally at briefings; he never read the accompanying studies.</ref> Friends and business associates said they warned Ford about the contents of the ''Independent'', and that Ford probably never read them. <ref> Watts pp x, 376-387; Lewis (1976) pp 135-59.</ref> However, court testimony in a libel suit, brought by one of the targets of the newspaper, stated that Ford did indeed know about the contents of the ''Independent'' in advance of publication. <ref> Baldwin (2000)</ref>
A libel lawsuit brought by Jewish farm cooperative organizer Aaron Sapiro in response to anti-Semitic remarks led to a highly publicized trial; Ford closed the ''Independent'' in December 1927 and apologized for attacking the Jewish people. At the trial, William Cameron, the editor of Ford's "Own Page", a regular feature of the magazine, testified that Ford never wrote or dictated the editorials, even though they were under his byline. Cameron testified that he never discussed the content of the pages or sent them to Ford for his approval.<ref>Lewis, (1976) pp. 140-156; Baldwin p 220-221.</ref> Everyone agreed, however, that Ford had a general knowledge of the anti-semitic thrust and funded their publication.
The ADL mobilized prominent Jews and non-Jews to publicly oppose Ford's message. They formed a coalition of Jewish groups for the same purpose, and raised constant objections in the Detroit press. Before leaving his presidency early in 1921, [[Woodrow Wilson]] joined other leading Americans in a statement that rebuked Ford. A boycott against Ford products by Jews had an impact, and Ford shut down the magazine in 1927, recanting his views in a public letter to the ADL. <ref> Baldwin (2000)</ref>
Distribution of ''International Jew'' was halted by Ford.
Ford's reputation was seriously damaged by his episode of anti-Semitism, even though he recanted in 1927 and never repeated it. He was indeed responsible for the publication, in the U.S. of the ''Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' and several other pamphlets aimed against the Jewish peopleinfluence. He paid for the publication of an anti-Semitic book ''The International Jew'', a work admired endorsed by Hitler. Hitler loved automobiles and like many Europeans idealized Ford for bringing autos to the people, which Hitler tried (and failed) to emulate through the Volkswagen.<ref> Ford was honored by the Nazi government for his automobiles, as was General Motors.</ref>
== Ford's international business==
==Achievements==
Contrary to what is popularly believed, Ford did not invent the [[automobile]] (that was done by German Karl Benz) nor did Ford invent the assembly line (that was done by Ransom E. Olds).
Henry What Ford did not invent the [[automobile]]--that was done by German Karl Benz. Ford did not invent perfect the assembly line; that was done by Ransom E. Olds, but Ford perfected it. Ford's team did invent concept of mass production (the standard in virtually every manufacturing plant worldwide) through the [[Model T]] automobile. This invention , which revolutionized the American economy. He mass produced his Model T using the [[assembly line]], making and made cars affordable to the common person for the first time ever.  He also paid his workers very well, which, in the long run, paid off as he was creating his own [[consumers]]. That too was a new idea.  Ford claimed 161 U.S. [[patent]]s to his credit.
==Sayings==
Ford hired a team of ghostwriters who wrote endless stories, anecdotes and jokes that were distributed in magazines and pamphlets given away by Ford dealers. Ford himself could barely read or write at the fourth grade level.
<blockquote>
“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success,” said Ford. “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
<br>"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."
</blockquote>
:"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right."
==Bibliography==
[[Image:fmclogo.png|thumb|200px|right]]
===Biographies===
* Bak, Richard. ''Henry and Edsel: The Creation of the Ford Empire'' (2003) [httphttps://www.amazon.com/Henry-Edsel-Creation-Ford-Empire/dp/0471234877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198975402&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]* Brinkley, Douglas G. ''Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress'' (2003) [httphttps://www.amazon.com/Wheels-World-Company-Century-Progress/dp/B000BZ99PQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198975451&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Halberstam, David. "Citizen Ford" ''American Heritage'' 1986 37(6): 49-64. interpretive essay
* Jardim, Anne. ''The First Henry Ford: A Study in Personality and Business Leadership'' (1970).
===Specialized studies===
* Batchelor, Ray. ''Henry Ford: Mass Production, Modernism and Design'' (1994).
* Bonin, Huber et al. ''Ford, 1902-2003: The European History'' 2 vol Paris 2003. ISBN 2-914369-06-9 scholarly essays in English; reviewed in Len Holden, "Fording the Atlantic: Ford and Fordism in Europe" in ''Business History '' Volume 47, #1 Jan 2005 pp 122-127 122–127
* Brinkley, Douglas. "Prime Mover". ''American Heritage'' 2003 54(3): 44-53. on Model T
* Bryan, Ford R. ''Henry's Lieutenants'', 1993; ISBN 0-8143-2428-2
* McIntyre, Stephen L. "The Failure of Fordism: Reform of the Automobile Repair Industry, 1913-1940: ''Technology and Culture'' 2000 41(2): 269-299. repair shops rejected flat rates
* Meyer, Stephen. ''The Five Dollar Day: Labor Management and Social Control in the Ford Motor Company, 1908-1921'' (1981) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102499921 online edition from [[Questia]]]
* Nolan, Mary. ''Visions of Modernity: American Business and the Modernization of Germany'' (1994); [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=58971942 online from [[Questia]]]' also [httphttps://www.amazon.com/Visions-Modernity-American-Business-Modernization/dp/0195070216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198975895&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Raff, Daniel M. G. and Lawrence H. Summers. "Did Henry Ford Pay Efficiency Wages?" ''Journal of Labor Economics'' (October 1987) 5#4 pp S57-S86 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0734-306X(198710)5%3A4%3CS57%3ADHFPEW%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F in JSTOR]
* Pietrykowski, Bruce. "Fordism at Ford: Spatial Decentralization and Labor Segmentation at the Ford Motor Company, 1920-1950" ''Economic Geography'' 1995 71(4): 383-401.
* [http://www.hfha.org/ The Henry Ford Heritage Association]
* [http://thoughtaudio.com/titlelist/ford/index.html Listen to “The Terror of the Machine” by Henry Ford] Free mp3 audio download from [http://thoughtaudio.com/ ThoughtAudio.com]
* [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Henry_Ford]
====notes====
<references/>
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