Henry Ford

FORD, Henry (1863-1947). In 1896 a horseless carriage chugged along the streets of Detroit, with crowds gathering whenever it appeared. Terrified horses ran at its approach. The police tried to curb this nuisance by forcing its driver, Henry Ford, to get a license. That car was the first of many millions produced by the automotive pioneer. Henry Ford was born near Dearborn, Mich., on July 30, 1863. His mother died when he was 12. He helped on the family …

…to end the war, but during both World War I and World War II his company was a major producer of war materials. In 1945 Ford yielded the presidency of the company to his 28-year-old grandson, Henry Ford II. Ford died on April 7, 1947, at the age of 83. Most of his personal estate, valued at about $205,000,000, was left to the Ford Foundation, one of the world's largest public trusts. (See also Automobile; Automobile Industry; Foundations and Charities.)