Edsel Ford

Edsel Bryant Ford (November 6, 1893 – May 26, 1943) was the son and only child of Henry Ford and president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 to his death in 1943. His eldest son was Henry Ford II.

Edsel worked closely with his father, as sole heir to the business, but was keen to develop cars more exciting than the Model T ("Tin Lizzie"), in line with his personal tastes. Even as president, he had trouble persuading the older man to allow any departure from this formula. Only a change in market conditions enabled him to develop the more fashionable Model A in 1927. Edsel also founded the Mercury division and was responsible for the Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln Continental. He introduced important features, such as hydraulic brakes, and greatly strengthened the company’s overseas production.

Edsel was a major art benefactor in Detroit, and also financed Admiral Richard Byrd’s polar explorations. He died of stomach cancer aged 49, with his father resuming presidency of the company, before handing it over to Henry Ford II. The range of cars launched by Ford in 1957 under the name Edsel is remembered as one of the classic marketing failures.

Edsel Ford (disambiguation)

Edsel Ford was the son of Henry Ford and president of Ford Motor Company.

Edsel Ford may also refer to:

Edsel Ford (poet)

Edsel Ford (December 30, 1928 – February 19, 1970) was a poet who lived most of his life in Arkansas. He had the same name as Henry Ford's son.

Early life

Ford was born on a farm in Eva, Alabama. According to one source, he was named after the doctor who delivered him; according to another, the doctor suggested the name to Ford's mother, who thought it would "in a wistful sort of way tie the two families together". In 1939 his family moved to near Avoca, Arkansas, where his father had a chicken farm. Edsel attended high school in Rogers, Arkansas.

Career

He began writing early and published his first poem in the Kansas City Star at the age of 14. In 1948 he won an Arkansas Poets' Roundtable Award and matriculated at the University of Arkansas.

After receiving a degree in journalism in 1952, he was drafted and served in the Army in Hanau, Germany. During his service he refused officer training because he felt that no one should have that kind of authority over others. He also continued writing (contributing so many poems to the "Pup Tent Poets" column of Stars and Stripes that a reader wrote, "I am getting bored/ with the works of Edsel Ford"). After his enlistment ended, he worked for a few years in Texas and in Hobbs, New Mexico as a clerk for Phillips Petroleum.