Edsel Ford - Death and Legacy

Death and Legacy

Edsel Ford died due to stomach cancer in 1943 at 'Gaukler Point' in Grosse Pointe Shores at the age of 49. According to tour guides at the Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, however, Edsel's father, Henry, was a domineering type who insisted that his son drink unpasteurized milk, which caused Edsel to contract and then succumb to undulant fever. His father resumed the presidency of the company. All of Edsel Ford's nonvoting stock was donated through a codicil in his will to the Ford Foundation, which he had founded with his father seven years earlier. He was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan.

Each of Edsel Ford's children inherited many shares in the Ford company, and the three sons all worked in the family business. Henry Ford II succeeded his grandfather as president of Ford on September 21, 1945. He is generally credited with rescuing the company during and after World War II via a wide-reaching regime change (removing Harry Bennett from operational control of the company and allowing the Whiz Kids to bring operations research to Ford's operations management).

Edsel Ford was one of the most significant art benefactors in Detroit history. As president of the Detroit Arts Commission, he commissioned the famous Diego Rivera Detroit Industry mural contained within the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). He was an early collector of African art and his contributions became part of the core of the original DIA African art collection. After his death, his family continued to make significant contributions.

Edsel also helped to finance exploratory expeditions, including the historic flight of Admiral Richard Byrd over the North Pole in 1926. Byrd, in his Antarctic expeditions, also financed by Edsel, named the Edsel Ford Range of mountains after him. Other Antarctic homages include Ford Massif, Ford Nunataks, and Ford Peak.

Two of the three high schools in Dearborn are named after Edsel Ford: Edsel Ford High School and Fordson High School; Fordson was the brand name of a line of tractors and was originally started as a separate company, Henry Ford & Son, later absorbed into the Ford Motor Company. Interstate 94 in the Detroit Metropolitan Area is named the Edsel Ford Freeway.

In September 1957, Ford Motor Company unveiled a new division of cars called Edsel. The Edsel division included the Citation, Corsair, Pacer, Ranger, Bermuda, Villager, and Roundup models. The Edsel division is remembered as a significant commercial failure. The cars sold moderately well in their first year, but the Edsel division was discontinued soon after the 1960 models were introduced.