Henry Ford is
more popularly known as the founder of the multi-million dollar car
manufacturer Ford Motors Corporation. He authored the car revolution in the US
which resulted in mass production of cars and the exploding car ownership
throughout the country.
Ford was a
native of Dearborn, Michigan. He was the eldest of six siblings who grew up in
the family farm. Although there was much opportunity for work in the land, Ford
believed that the jobs available could not provide sufficient income.
He started in
1879 as an apprentice machinist. Later In 1893, Ford became the chief engineer
at Edison Illuminating Company.
Ford had an
insatiable passion for machines. In 1893, Ford became successful in creating a
self-propelled, gasoline-fueled quadricycle.
This led to the opening of the Detroit Automobile Company.
The new
automobile company was short-lived because of financial difficulty. The
bankruptcy gave birth to the Ford Motor Company in 1903. The Ford Motor Company
fist developed the T car. Because the production of the T car was very
expensive, it was accessible only to the wealthy. Ford began improving its
manufacturing processes until the T car was mass produced in 1918. 15 million T
cars were sold after that.
Ford also tried
his luck in politics when he ran for senator under the Democratic Party.
However, he
lost his senatorial bid. He also had liberal views about labor and was the
only employer paying his workers more for lesser working days. His employees
work for only 5 days or a total of 40 working hours per week.
Ford also had
his way of returning his favors by establishing the Ford Foundation in 1936.
His philanthropic and charitable events included promotion of human welfare
through research grants for the education and development.
Ford died in 1947 at
the age 83 after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage.
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