Businessman. An automobile magnate, he was born the first of four children to Edsel and Eleanor Clay Ford, (and was the first grandchild of industrial pioneer Henry Ford). In May 1943, his father Edsel Ford died, and his frail aging grandfather Henry Ford became company President again. Henry Ford II was serving in the United States Navy when he was discharged and came back to help run the company. In 1945, with the help of his mother Eleanor Ford and grandmother Clara Ford, they helped convince his grandfather to step down and allow him to become President of Ford Motor Company. According to one executive "The Company was dead, and rigor mortis had set in." He hired a group who became known as the "Whiz Kids," which included future United States Secretary of Defense Robert Strange McNamara, to cut costs of the company. In 1949, the '49' Ford came out, and is considered one of the many cars that saved Ford Motor. In the 1970s, with the recession on, and gas rationed along with high prices, Henry Ford still believed America only wanted big cars, but Ford executive Lee Iacocca convinced him to invest in the Ford "Pinto." By the late 1970s, Lee Iaccoca was fired. When asked why, he stated," Sometimes people just don't like each other." His standard line, when he was asked why he did it that way was, "Never Complain, Never Explain." He was married three times, and had three children by his first wife Anne McDonnell. Charlotte, Anne, and Edsel, named after his father. He died at Henry Ford Hospital in 1987.
Businessman. An automobile magnate, he was born the first of four children to Edsel and Eleanor Clay Ford, (and was the first grandchild of industrial pioneer Henry Ford). In May 1943, his father Edsel Ford died, and his frail aging grandfather Henry Ford became company President again. Henry Ford II was serving in the United States Navy when he was discharged and came back to help run the company. In 1945, with the help of his mother Eleanor Ford and grandmother Clara Ford, they helped convince his grandfather to step down and allow him to become President of Ford Motor Company. According to one executive "The Company was dead, and rigor mortis had set in." He hired a group who became known as the "Whiz Kids," which included future United States Secretary of Defense Robert Strange McNamara, to cut costs of the company. In 1949, the '49' Ford came out, and is considered one of the many cars that saved Ford Motor. In the 1970s, with the recession on, and gas rationed along with high prices, Henry Ford still believed America only wanted big cars, but Ford executive Lee Iacocca convinced him to invest in the Ford "Pinto." By the late 1970s, Lee Iaccoca was fired. When asked why, he stated," Sometimes people just don't like each other." His standard line, when he was asked why he did it that way was, "Never Complain, Never Explain." He was married three times, and had three children by his first wife Anne McDonnell. Charlotte, Anne, and Edsel, named after his father. He died at Henry Ford Hospital in 1987.
Bio by: Joel Hurley
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