Henry Ford was the first surviving son and was a famed automobile manufacturer born to William and Mary Ford on July 30th 1863 at Dearborn, Michigan. His parent owned a farm in Wayne County near Dearborn, Michigan. At the age of 13, Henry Ford had a pocket watch as a gift from his father who he immediately took apart and reassembles it; friends and neighbors requested that their own watches should be fixed by Henry Ford because they were impressed by what he did. He was a mere farmer who changed the lives many people both in America and the world through his establishment (Warnle 2013). Unsatisfied with farm work, Henry Ford left home for a nearby city in Detroit at the age of 16 where he found himself an apprentice work as machinist. After …show more content…
“Ford was dedicated to the production of an efficient and reliable automobile that would be affordable for everyone; the result was the Model T, which made its debut in October 1908” (The Henry Ford 2013). The Model T increased mass production because demand was very high since it was affordable, strong, and easily handled on rough roads. Tin Lizzie was the nickname for Model T which was an immediate success and the company soon had more orders than the company could satisfy so “he put into practice techniques of mass production that would revolutionize American industry, including the use of large production plants; standardized, interchangeable parts; and the moving assembly line” (The Henry Ford 2013). The assembly line helped gave mobility to Americans and employment which created the middle class. Even though production went high, demand for Tin Lizzie still remained high and almost half of all cars in America were Model Ts by 1918. Edsel was named president of Ford Motor Company by his father but Henry retained full control of the company’s operations in 1919. Model T was used as a grinding mill by jacking up the rear and replacing one wheel with a pulley and leather belt (Brooke 2008). After a court battle with his stockholders which was led by brothers Horace and John Dodge, Henry Ford bought out all minority stockholders by 1920 and by 1927, Ford moved production to a massive industrial complex he had built along the banks of the River Rouge in Dearborn, Michigan which included a glass factory, steel mill, assembly line and all other necessary components of automotive production. Henry Ford introduced the new Model A which featured better horsepower and brakes, among other improvements and stopped the production of the Model T