Do you remember the marketing failure (still taught in marketing classes today), of the Ford vehicle called “The Edsel?” It was introduced in 1957 and named after Edsel Ford (Henry Ford’s son), fourteen years after he died from stomach cancer at the age of 49. This story isn’t about the ugly car (and I mean ugly), but instead about a very amazing person.
Edsel was the son and only child of Henry Ford and he was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 up until his death. He worked closely with his father but was into developing cars more exciting, constantly arguing with his dad that they needed to expand their product line. Even as president, he had trouble persuading his father to allow any departure from his original Model T style.
He finally won out and founded the Mercury division and was responsible for the Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln Continental offering features such as automatic engines and even air conditioning and the new car lines ended up being massive successes for the Ford Company.
Edsel was a huge humanitarian and the city of Detroit loved him for it. Something very few people know is that he financed Admiral Richard Byrd’s polar explorations as he himself was an adventurer. When he died in 1943, his father resumed running the company, before handing it over to Henry Ford II (Edsel’s oldest son).
Once again I chose someone to write about that I think deserves some attention. He was an innovator and a humanitarian who died way too young.
Edsel was the son and only child of Henry Ford and he was president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 up until his death. He worked closely with his father but was into developing cars more exciting, constantly arguing with his dad that they needed to expand their product line. Even as president, he had trouble persuading his father to allow any departure from his original Model T style.
He finally won out and founded the Mercury division and was responsible for the Lincoln Zephyr and Lincoln Continental offering features such as automatic engines and even air conditioning and the new car lines ended up being massive successes for the Ford Company.
Edsel was a huge humanitarian and the city of Detroit loved him for it. Something very few people know is that he financed Admiral Richard Byrd’s polar explorations as he himself was an adventurer. When he died in 1943, his father resumed running the company, before handing it over to Henry Ford II (Edsel’s oldest son).
Once again I chose someone to write about that I think deserves some attention. He was an innovator and a humanitarian who died way too young.
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