Henry Ford

Businessmen go down with their businesses because they like the old way so well that they cannot bring themselves to change.

If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t- you are right.

Profile / Biography

Henry Ford, born on July 30, 1863, grew up in rural Michigan, one of six children of farmer parents. His dislike of farming and interest in mechanics and engineering led him to seek work in Detroit factories from his late teens on. A promotion to Chief Engineer after a few years at the Edison Illumination Company allowed him both the time and money he needed to pursue his own inventions.

Not long after his promotion, Ford developed what he coined the "Quadricycle." This four-wheeled vehicle, developed as a means for Ford to realize his dream—that a gasoline powered vehicle that was affordable and would revolutionize travel—was not the first "concept car"; yet, Ford continued to hone his invention.

By 1908, he had developed the Model T, and had opened the Ford Motor Company. Production was slow, as three or four men worked on each Model T from beginning to end. In 1913, Ford implemented the assembly line, complete with a conveyor belt, to speed production. His idea that mass production was the wave of the future finally came to fruition. This foresight took off, for by 1918, half of all cars on American roads were Ford Model T’s.

Henry Ford died in 1947, near his hometown in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company is still controlled by his descendants, and remains one of the most popular domestic car manufacturers in America.