As the Fords' only child, Edsel was groomed to take over the family business, and had grown up tinkering on cars with his father. He became secretary of Ford in 1915 and married Eleanor Clay, niece of department store owner
J. L. Hudson, on
November 1, 1916. Together they had four children:
Henry Ford II, Benson, Josephine (1923-2005), and
William Clay. They made their home at 2171 Iroquois St, in the
Indian Village neighborhood of Detroit.
The younger Ford showed more interest than his father in flashier styling for
automobiles. He indulged this proclivity in part with the purchase of the
Lincoln Motor Company in 1922. His affinity for sporty cars was demonstrated in his personal vehicles: Edsel bought the first
MG motorcar imported to the United States. In 1932 he had a V-8 boat-tailed speedster custom-designed for him, and two years later had another car designed, this one a low-riding aluminum-bodied speedster. The latter two cars he kept for the remainder of his life and inspired the design of the
Lincoln Continental.
After becoming president of Ford, Edsel long advocated the introduction of a more modern automobile to replace the
Model T, but was repeatedly overruled by his father. Flagging sales and dwindling market share for the company, however, finally made introduction of a new model inevitable.
During the design phase for the
Model A, Henry Ford assured mechanical quality and reliability, leaving it to his son to flesh out the body design. This the younger Ford accomplished with the help of designer
Jozsef Galamb. Edsel also prevailed upon his father to allow the inclusion of four-wheel mechanical
brakes and a sliding-gear
transmission on this model. The resulting Model A was a commercial success, selling over four million during four years of production.
As president, Edsel Ford was often at loggerheads with his father on major decisions, but he nevertheless managed to accomplish several lasting changes. Edsel Ford founded and named the
Mercury division, and significantly strengthened Ford Motors' overseas production. He was also responsible for the
Lincoln Zephyr and
Lincoln Continental.
Like his father, Edsel's reputation is clouded over associations with
Nazi Germany. Questions linger regarding what degree of control Edsel maintained over Ford plants in Germany and
Vichy France during
World War II, and concerning to what extent Ford shareholders profited from the
forced labor the Nazis used at those plants. A
U.S. Treasury Department investigation of Edsel for alleged violations of the
Trading with the Enemy Act (12
U.S.C. § 95a) ended shortly after his death in 1943. Ford Motor Company maintains that it lost control of the plants immediately after Germany declared war on the U.S. in 1941, while admitting that some limited profits were received.
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