A Tale of Two Henrys: Ford Motor Company's Moment of Change

摘要

He didn't invent the automobile or mass production. He didn't even create the first affordable car. What Henry Ford did was build one of the world's largest automakers. For about 40 years, one man embodied the company that still bears his name to a degree unlike that at any other car company in the world. But all eras must come to an end. The beginning of the end of the Henry Ford era came with the death of his son, Edsel, the company's president. In 1943, in the midst of World War II, 49-year-old Edsel lost his battle with cancer, leaving the elder Ford to retake the reins of the company he created. However, Ford Motor Company's key role in the war effort and the aged patriarch's declining health put the company-and its critical responsibilities-at risk. To keep everything in check, Edsel's son was brought back from naval service to head up Ford.