Edsel Ford

Edsel was the real father of the Model-A. From what I've read about Henry Ford he was not a real likable guy. Especially after the Nazi's awarded him
a very high decoration for being the antisemitic he was.:mad::p


Bob-A:D
 
I understand his father always gave him a hard time and took a sledge hammer to the first Model A he was shown.
 
I've seen pictures of him smiling but most especially when he is around his own family and not around his father or father's management. . Some of the latter were known to be nasty, conniving, etc.

He was the only guy in the entire Ford plant allowed to smoke cigarettes.
 
I just finished reading Edsel; Henry Ford's Forgotten Son and it touched on this a lot.

Like Eric said most photos of him smiling are when he's with his family.

If you can get your hands on this Biography I suggest you do. It gives a different perspective of Henry than a lot of other books about him as it relates to his treatment of Edsel.

A lot of factors contributed to Edsel's early death including his stressful relationship with his father, undulant fever, a misdiagnosis of his cancer as being "just" an ulcer, and the intense pressure of starting and running the Willow Run bomber plant.

-Tim
 
Maybe the general public has forgotten Edsel, but early Ford enthusiasts have not. A remarkable person in his own right. The book is pricey. I'd like to read it.
 
A class act in a family of very high achievers. Mrs. Ford allegedly didn’t speak to Henry Ford for quite some time following her only child’s early death. Henry was brilliant but perhaps had unattainable goals for his son.
I am thankful for our lovely ‘30 Deluxe Coupe and also the beauty of a 1936 Ford. The Fords accomplished so much for so many and made a ton of money along the Ford road.
 
Lots of pictures of Edsel smiling at his house. Great place to visit if you get the chance.
 
Here, how about in this photo:

477314


Brad in Maryland

PS: Note the cat laying in Henry Ford's lap.
 

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Stress has been shown to effect a persons health. Although stomach cancer can be caused by tobacco use.

Edsel was brilliant and Henry should have listened to him more. Edsel's design ideas are evident in the beauty of the Model A and the later V8 cars.
 
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WTSHNN said:
I just finished reading Edsel; Henry Ford's Forgotten Son and it touched on this a lot.

Like Eric said most photos of him smiling are when he's with his family.

If you can get your hands on this Biography I suggest you do. It gives a different perspective of Henry than a lot of other books about him as it relates to his treatment of Edsel.

A lot of factors contributed to Edsel's early death including his stressful relationship with his father, undulant fever, a misdiagnosis of his cancer as being "just" an ulcer, and the intense pressure of starting and running the Willow Run bomber plant.

-Tim
Click to expand...

Great book written by one of our club members, Henry Dominguez.
 
I've never liked Henry Ford as a person, but the contrast between Henry and Edsel was stark. All you need to do to see the difference between the two is to visit Henry's home and then visit Edsel and Eleanor Ford's home on Lake St. Clair. Edsel was a class act. He had an incredible eye for design and style. Both Edsel and his wife nad an intense interest in the arts. I truly believe that Henry's actions shortened Edsel's life
We all know that Henry was an anti semite. I've never seen anything that would show Edsel ad being biased.
Rog
 
Anti-semitism was very common in the early 20th century. So was racism of all stripes. It was a different time and it's fine to criticize racism etc but cancelling people who were amazingly accomplished and successful is not the answer. Pretty soon the only heroes of the past left standing are the milksop nothings. Anyone who thinks or accomplishes makes mistakes, try to sift the good out from the bad. Everyone thinks they would have been the Shindler, its many many times more likely that you'd have been the prison guard.
 
By 1943, Henry Ford had become somewhat frail and rather ill tempered due to his physical and mental state after suffering several strokes. Edsel was making most of the company day to day business decisions due to the heavy load that WWII put on the business. The new B-24 plant at Willow Run and converting from cars to tanks and aircraft components was a feat of modern industrialization at the time. I think that situation would have had ill effects on even the strongest personalities. His stress level was on 78 speed at the time. Edsel had stomach ulcers and there may have even been something in the family genetics that caused his cancer. No one will really ever know for sure. It's a shame that the world was deprived of his genius so soon. Ford Motor Company would have evolved differently had he been around longer.
 
B24's ? That plant must have been quite the place. 1 an hour.

Of the, I believe, 4 manufacturers my father always said the Ford built ones were the best. Ford made more than any other.
 
Patrick L. said:
B24's ? That plant must have been quite the place. 1 an hour.

Of the, I believe, 4 manufacturers my father always said the Ford built ones were the best. Ford made more than any other.
Click to expand...

Of the 8,000 or so B-24Js built by Ford, only one example exists today and is located at the Air Museum at Barksdale AFB, LA.

Of the many potential causes of Edsel's cancer, another was unpasteurized milk from the family farm. Henry was a brilliant undegreed engineer and diciplined business man but was also an imperfect and somewhat unwholesome man. Edsel was everything that Henry was not - a kind and gentle man with a flair for style. Edsel made the Model A happen and probably saved the company from ruin in the late 1920s. Were it not for the depression in 1929, FMC may have regained it's top position in the auto industry.
 
I hope not to get too far off the topic... The story of the Ford Willow Run bomber plant is a truly remarkable feat of industrialization. The time line from concept to production is astonishing, some 16 months from the time that Edsel Ford and his team of manufacturing wizards visited Consolidated in San Diego to "see how an airplane is built" to the first "Ford assembled B-24" ... all this from corn field to 4,734,617 s.f. factory, all this in a year and a half. You couldn't even get permits approved these days in that time frame.
The definitive book on the subject is "Willow Run, Colossus of American Industry" by Warren B. Kidder. It's an amazing read!
To add a personal note, my father a Ford Motor journeyman tool and die maker worked at Willow Run through the war building and repairing the many tools, jigs and fixtures that enabled Ford to employ assembly line techniques to the massive airplane.
 
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