Henry and Edsel: The Creation of the Ford Empire

by Richard Bak

The epic struggle between a father and son and the building of a worldwide business empire
In this retelling of the story of the rise of Ford Motors, journalist Richard Bak offers a daring new perspective on the human drama that helped shape one of the world's great business empires. No dry corporate history, Henry and Edsel focuses on the epic battle of wills between the unyielding Henry Ford, his gifted son Edsel, and his "second son," the brutal and insidious Harry Bennet who rose from barroom brawler to become Henry's heir apparent. Bak dispels the common misperception of Edsel Ford as a weak and ineffectual manager, and explains that it was in fact Edsel's level-headedness and imaginative business solutions and that allowed the company to survive the many challenges to its survival in the first half of the twentieth century. Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration of Ford Motor Company, Henry and Edsel is sure to be warmly received by history buffs and business readers.
Richard Bak (Detroit, MI) is a veteran journalist who has written widely on the Fords and the automobile industry.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, American History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published July 3, 2003

About the author

RICHARD BAK is a Detroit-based journalist and the author of twenty-five books, including 'Henry and Edsel: The Creation of the Ford Empire' and 'Peach: Ty Cobb in His Time and Ours.' He has received three ForeWord magazine Book-of-the-Year awards, the Stuart D. and Vernice M. Gross Prize for Literature, and two Emmys for his work as writer and coproducer of "Stranded at the Corner," a feature-length documentary about the fight to save Detroit's Tiger Stadium.

Reviews

[George Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent dual biography of Henry and Edsel, although, as in life, Henry overshadows Edsel in the book. The book provides a concise history of Ford Motor from 1903 through 1947 when Henry II assumed control of the company. Henry was a complex character who was the expert on efficient manufacture of automobiles, but who had little knowledge of or interest in anything that did not relate engineering or manufacturing. Edsel's personality was the opposite of his fathers': Edsel was a patron of the arts as well as an expert automotive stylist. While Henry was domineering, Edsel was passive; Edsel suffered continual abuse from his father, who viewed the abuse as the best way to toughen up his weakling son. Henry's decent into hubris began after he became a folk hero for initiating the $5/day wage in 1914. As the author state, "Henry became too big for his bowler". Henry and Ford Motor became dysfunctional after Model T production ended; the company lost money from 1931 until 1948. Henry effectively handed the company over to Harry Bennett, a thug who skimmed money from the Ford treasury, and whose violent response to UAW organization attempts resulted in the self destructive relationship between the automakers and the UAW that contributed to the recent bankruptcies of GM and Chrysler. The situation worsened during the late 1930s, when Henry suffered multiple strokes as well as worsening dementia. Henry was forced to step down when his wife and Edsel's widow threatened to sell their stock unless Henry handed the company over to his grandson, Henry II; Henry II assumed the presidency in 1947.

[Diane Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book quite informative. I learned a lot of things about the development of the Ford Empire of which I was not aware. It opened my eyes to what it was like for my grandfather who lived and worked during that era in the factories of Detroit. I wish my grandfather was still around there are so many things I would like to have asked him about his experiences working in Detroit at that time. An excellent book, easy to read. Though at times it seemed to jump back and forth in time, the way it was done was interesting and did not detract from the flow of the readers thoughts.

[Tamgrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book after a visit to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe picqued my interest in the life of Edsel Ford. It's an unfortunate commentary on Edsel Ford's life that this was the most prominent biography of his I could find but the majority of it was dedicated to his father, Henry Ford. The book is full of interesting information about the early Ford empire, including the rise of the automobile, disputes with labor, the founding of the Detroit Institute of Arts (and the commissioning of Diego Rivera's famous murals), and Henry Ford's vitriolic anti-Semitism. The one question I wish the book had been a little clearer on was Henry Ford's treatment of black workers: I felt the book danced around this subject a little bit. Overall, the book offers a fleshed out portrait of a contradictory industrial tycoon and his overlooked son and gives insight into how the Fords helped transform the country and were themselves transformed as America shifted from a largely agrarian society to a more industrial, consumer-driven economy. However, unlike the very best non-fiction, the book never seems to offer real insights into matters beyond the subject at hand, which is why I gave it four stars.

[Bill Sleeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be interesting but also sad. To read about how Henry Ford didn't just block his son Edsel from truly running Ford but actively sought to humiliate him at every turn made me, as a father, ache with a sense of loss for what might have been in terms of their relationship; not to mention for the industry. As author Ricard Bak makes clear Edsel was creative, a keen businessman and a caring leader. If Bak is correct, even his competitors wanted Edsel to run Ford. As an example, as Bak tells it, the burgeoning aircraft industry could have been Ford's to dominate if Edsel had been trusted with his ideas and leadership, something his insecure and disturbed father simply could not tolerate. This is a very good, very readable history of two individuals and a company, which, although wildly successful, might have been so much more than it is.

[Robert Sperduto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first book on Ford. He was a brilliant guy when it came to the assembly line, but he would not change with the times. The Tin-Lizzie was all he wanted to build but he could not see that Americans wanted more. Who knew that Ford started building airplanes! Sounds like he could have been the leader in this space as well but again he shut down this business. This book tells you that he hated Jews, FDR and unions. He was a very conflicted man in his views and what he thought was important. He loved his family but treated his only son like shit. He hated bankers and lawyers but bailed out the city. I guess the woke people don't read many books or they would be boycotting Ford every day!

[Tom Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful addition to the canon of the history of Henry Ford and his company.
This work is nice as it gives much more attention to Edsel and his side of this relationship.
Such a tragic story of Edsel's brief life. This work shows how he was stuck between the forceful drive of his famous father and his own moral compass.

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish… did not meet the 50 page assessment criteria.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful biography on Henry and Edsel Ford. It transitioned very nicely between discussing Henry and Edsel, and overall I think it was very well written. This is one of my favourite nonfiction books.

[Luann Yetter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative. Bak presents Henry Ford as a complex character, likeable in some ways, detestable in others.

[Dan Dundon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Bak has done a commendable job of recounting the history of Henry Ford and his son Edsel while also detailing the historical events shaping America at the time. Perhaps the name Charles Bennett should also have been added to the title as he takes up a good deal of the book as well. It is the interaction among the three that creates the real drama for a reader. Bennett was the force behind Henry and many times was the antagonist to many of the innovations Edsel wanted to bring to Ford. Bak also portrays Bennett as being the prime mover behind the poor labor relations with the UAW. Bak makes clear that If Bennett had been sidelined earlier, the company would probably have had a much better labor history thanks to the enlightened management style of Edsel. Sadly that opportunity was squandered with Edsel's untimely death. I came away from the book realizing that although Ford was a great company, it could have been even greater if not for the antagonism between father and son.