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As the Fords' only child, Edsel was groomed to take over the family business, and had grown up tinkering on cars with his father. He became secretary of Ford in 1915 and married Eleanor Clay, niece of department store owner J. L. Hudson, on November 1, 1916. Together they had four children: Henry Ford II, Benson, Josephine (1923-2005),and William Clay. They made their home at 2171 Iroquois St, in the Indian Village neighborhood of Detroit.
The younger Ford showed more interest than his father in flashier styling for automobiles. He indulged this proclivity in part with the purchase of the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922. His affinity for sporty cars was demonstrated in his personal vehicles: Edsel bought the first MG motorcar imported to the United States. In 1932 he had a V-8 boat-tailed speedster custom-designed for him, and two years later had another car designed, this one a low-riding aluminum-bodied speedster. The latter two cars he kept for the remainder of his life and inspired the design of the Lincoln Continental.
After becoming president of Ford, Edsel long advocated the introduction of a more modern automobile to replace the Model T, but was repeatedly overruled by his father. Flagging sales and dwindling market share for the company, however, finally made introduction of a new model inevitable.
During the design phase for the Model A, Henry Ford assured mechanical quality and reliability, leaving it to his son to flesh out the body design. This the younger Ford accomplished with the help of designer József Galamb. Edsel also prevailed upon his father to allow the inclusion of four-wheel mechanical brakes and a sliding-gear transmission on this model. The resulting Model A was a commercial success, selling over four million during four years of production.
As president, Edsel Ford was often at loggerheads with his father on major decisions, but he nevertheless managed to accomplish several lasting changes. Edsel Ford founded and named the Mercury division, and significantly strengthened Ford Motors' overseas production. He was also responsible for the Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln Continental.
Death and legacy
Edsel Ford died in 1943 in Grosse Pointe Shores of cancer at age 49. His father, Henry, resumed the presidency of the company and all of Edsel Ford's nonvoting stock was donated through a codicil in his will to the Ford Foundation, which he had founded with his father seven years earlier. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Each Ford child inherited a large number of shares in the Ford company and the three sons all worked in the family business. Henry Ford II succeeded his grandfather as president of Ford on September 21, 1945. He is generally credited with rescuing the company after World War II.
Edsel Ford was one of the most significant art benefactors in Detroit history. As president of the Detroit Arts Commission, he commissioned the famous Diego Rivera Detroit Industry mural contained within the Detroit Institute of Arts. He was an early collector of African art and his contributions became part of the core of the original DIA African art collection. After his death his family continued to make significant contributions.
Edsel Ford also helped to finance exploratory expeditions, including Admiral Richard Byrd's historic flight over the North Pole in 1926. Byrd, in his Antarctic expeditions, also financed by Edsel, in gratitude named the Edsel Ford Range of mountains for him. Other Antarctic homages include Ford Massif, Ford Nunataks, and Ford Peak.
Edsel Ford's name continues in two of the three local high schools in Dearborn: Edsel Ford High School and Fordson High School. Fordson was the brand name of a line of tractors and was originally started as a separate company, Henry Ford & Son, later absorbed into the Ford Motor Company. Interstate 94 in the Detroit Metropolitan Area is named the Edsel Ford Freeway.
In 1958 Ford started a new car division called Edsel. The Edsel is remembered as an enormous failure, even though the car sold moderately well in its first year. The Edsel line was discontinued after the 1960 model year.
Home
In 1929 the Ford family moved into their new home, designed by Albert Kahn on shores of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores. Edsel Ford died in this house in 1943 and his wife lived there until her death in 1976. It was her wish that the property be used for "the benefit of the public." The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House is now open to the public for tours. Located on 87 acres at 1100 Lake Shore Road Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan 48236, the house has a fine collection of original antiques and art, and beautiful lakefront grounds. The house currently hosts special events, classes and lectures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Construction on the house began in 1926, after the Fords traveled with Kahn to England. There, they were attracted to the Cotswolds style of architecture found near Wales and asked Kahn to design a house that would look like the closely assembled cottages of the region. Kahn’s design included sandstone exterior walls, a traditional slate roof (with “shingles†decreasing in size the closer they are to its peak) and moss and ivy grown across the house’s exterior.
While construction of the house itself took only one year, two were spent fitting it with wood paneling and fireplaces brought from homes in England. Examples can be found in the Gallery, the largest room in the house. It features sixteenth century wood paneling, a hooded chimneypiece from Wollaston Hall in Worcestershire, England and stained-glass window medallions dating from the fourteenth century that were added to the house in the late 1930s.
Other interesting design elements include kitchen counters made of sterling silver, a dining room entirely devoid of electricity and Art Deco rooms designed by Walter Dorwin Teague, a leading industrial designer of the 1930s. Teague’s first floor “Modern Room†features indirect lighting, taupe-leather wall panels and a curved niche with 18 vertical, mirrored sections. He also designed bedrooms and sitting rooms for all three of Edsel and Eleanor’s sons. Teague’s design for Henry Ford II’s bathroom includes unique grey walls made of the same structural glass as its shower stall.
The house featured an extensive art collection, reflecting Edsel and Eleanor’s status as serious benefactors. After Mrs. Ford’s death, many important works were donated to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Reproductions were hung in their place. The French-styled Drawing Room features two original Paul Cezanne paintings and reproductions of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas works. A reproduction of the Vincent van Gogh work, The Postman Roulin hangs in the Morning Room. An original Diego Rivera, Cactus on the Plains, hangs in the Modern Room.
The grounds of the house include a power house and a gate house along affluent Lake Shore Road, often mistaken for the actual house. It includes apartments formerly used by staff and an eight-car garage with a turntable to rotate cars so they don’t need to back out. The Recreation House stands beyond the man-made lagoon and swimming pool, containing changing rooms and a squash court with spectator’s gallery.Closer to the gate house is Josephine Ford’s child-sized playhouse, built for her by Clara Ford in 1930. It features working electricity and plumbing and an exterior decorated with characters from nursery rhymes.