Henry Ford, 1919

Henry Ford, 1919 (colour version)

Henry Ford
Ford in 1919
Born	July 30, 1863 Greenfield Township, Michigan, U.S.
Died	April 7, 1947 (aged 83) Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Founder of Ford Motor Company
Net worth	$188.1 billion (based on February 2008 data from Forbes)
Religion	Episcopalian
Spouse(s)	Clara Jane Bryant (m. 1888)
Children	Edsel Ford
Parent(s)	William Ford and Mary Ford
Signature

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and the sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production.

Although Ford did not invent the automobile or the assembly line,^[1] he developed and manufactured the firstautomobile that many middle class Americans could afford. In doing so, Ford converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into a practical conveyance that would profoundly impact the landscape of the 20th Century. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. As the owner of theFord Motor Company, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism": mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout most of North America and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to control the company permanently.

Ford was also widely known for his pacifism during the first years of World War I, and for having published theantisemitic book The International Jew.