Stories about Henry Ford
 

A former employee of Ford told me the story of the origin of the expression "he got the axe". If Henry was dissatified with someone's performance he would go to work early and chop his desk up with an axe. When the employee came to work, he would find he had "got the axe."

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

Hmmm... that smacks a little more of "corporate legend" to me...

I wouldn't have put it past Old Henry though, at least once.

Supposedly after Henry & Clara Ford had returned from a European vacation in the mid-Twenties, Edsel showed his father an "improved Ford car" that he'd had his team working on while the old man was abroad. As the story goes, Old Henry walked around it, saying nothing, then took an axe (or sledgehammer, depending on the version of this story), and proceeded to destroy the prototype right then and there...

Then there's the story about Old Henry walking through the plant one day, and coming across some block castings for V-8 engines; again (supposedly) Old Henry grabbed the nearest swinging-type tool and reduced those castings to smithereens.

I'd bet a pint of room-temp ale and some plum-pudding that the expression " he got the axe " might also have its origins in Merrie Olde England, when beheading was a common and frequent punishment for certain criminal behavior... ( I heard British friends speak of getting fired as "getting the chop"...)

As I'm writing about it, I think I have heard the about "desk story" before... I don't think it was regular company policy, but certainly, if true, Mr. Ford no doubt showed everyone "who was boss"....

Somewhat sad too; up until his libel suit against the Chicago Tribune ( for printing that Henry Ford was "an ignorant idealist", pertaining to his involvement with the Pacifist crowd that created the "Peace Ship" effort during WW I), Old Henry was fairly progressively-minded with regard to his interest in his employees, their working and living conditions, education, etc. That trial and his public embarassment on the witness stand changed him, and left him quite bitter towards many, many people.

My greatest admiration for Ford the Man, is pre-1919 Henry.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

I do not know if this is history or hearsay but I was told that one day Henry ford was out and about in his model T and came across a disabled model t owner stuck on the side of the road.. Henry stopped and looked under the hood, tinkered a bit and got the car running. The thankful man thaked him and offered him some money as a reward for his help. Henry said that there was no need for that as "I have all the money I could ever need or spend" The gentleman looked at him and said "sir you are a liar!If you had all that money why would you be driving a FORD!"

Above the hearth at Fairlane
 

"Chop your own wood and it will warm you twice"

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

The story about Henry fixing someone's car and the man attempting to pay Henry is told slightly differently in a book that I have but I won't spoil the story by repeating it here. I would, however, highly recommend that anyone who is interested in Henry's story read "The People's Tycoon, Henry Ford and the American Century" By Steven Watts. It is a great book!

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

this thread brought me to look into some published info, I found "The Fords: An American Epic" interesting, family strife, origins and controversies within the family and the industry , the beating down of iacocca . these bail outs are nothing new, governments intentions to push industrial capitalists further for drafting new technology, they did it in the 20's, 40's 60's 80's here we are again. crazy ford's still in front. with individualists building vehicles too big to fit through the doors.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

I Just read Ford, the men and the machine. Lots of good stories in that one. Iceman

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

Sorry for bringing this back from the dead, but I've been reading old threads tonight :)

The Ax wielder in this story was not Henry Ford, it was Charles Sorensen- Ford's production boss.

Sorensen was known to smash people's desk with an ax as a little notice that your services were no longer required. If the person whose desk was smashed got to talk to Henry Ford, Ford would say "Go smash Sorensen's desk if he did it to yours. It's OK by me."

Another story along the same line is Sorensen was at the Rouge one day and spotted a guy sitting on a crate working on the phone lines. Sorensen kicks the crate out from under the phone man and in turn the phone man lays a good solid hit on Sorensen's jaw. The phone man worked for the phone company-not Ford Motor.

There are a couple stories of Henry Ford (and Henry II) wielding an axe, but the known stories are as follows:

Scott McIntyre was the powerhouse superintendent at Ford's Fair Lane estate. One morning he sees Henry walking in with an axe over his shoulder. Ford tells McIntyre, "How do you like my key Scotty? Seems as if people want to lock the privies up around here, but I got in with my key!"

Another story is the time Ford chopped up some piece of furniture that his extended family kept bugging him about. He broke it down with an ax and gave them the pieces in a cardboard box.

The story the Frank posted about Ford destroying the prototype car after his Europea vacation can be found in the book "Tin Lizzie" by Stern. Only difference is he used his hands and feet- no tools required!

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

Yes, but did Henry chop the pieces to a size that he could use them for floorboards? :confused::D:D

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

I related this to some club members while we were working on a model a head light switch. They seemed to enjoy it so I will tell it here also. In the 32 years that I knew my father, we probably had only about 10 conversations so when he took the time to tell me something of his youth I listened and had no reason to doubt that I had heard the truth in just a few words.

My father as a young man was a mechanic working at a Ford dealership (no mention of his age or the location of the dealership and I knew better than to ask) when one day a guy who looked like he rode the underside of a train car into town just appeared in the shop and was snooping into everything including mechanics tool boxes never looking at or speaking to anyone and nobody said anything to him either. He disappeared as quickly and stealthily as he appeared. By now my father being very curious asked the shop foreman who the heck was that old bum and what was he up to.
The foreman replied, "that was just Henry Ford".

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

When I was working in the machine shops, and old guy told me that story about Henry Ford specifying the exact size of the wood used in some part that he was producing for Ford. Exactly Z" x Y" ! The pieces were then placed into one of the early Fords (?) as floor boards.
Terry

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

My Great Grandfather started working for Ford in 1910 in Detroit and two of his sons (my grandfather and great uncle) all worked there for most of their lives. They all met Henry on a few occasions and attended his funeral. They are both still alive and live near me. Next time we are all together I will get some Henry stories to share.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

We are all not perfect certainly...

http://listverse.com/2010/02/12/10-t...odern-history/

Joe K

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

lol, my grandmother always tells people he was an evil man.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

Probably no different than any of us. Well, maybe a little different.

Wasn't it Truman Capote when asked if the rich were truly different? He sniffed and replied "Yes, the rich are truly different - they have more money."

We've all heard the stories of Ford's mistress.

http://wikimapia.org/17430903/Dahlinger-Farm

Attribution for above at the page.

But Ford also did a lot of good things. Ford Trade Schools for one. Another the $5 a day wage (when everyone else was paying half of that.) Another being his preservation of the Edison Legacy, and the creation of Greenfield Village. Also involved with preservation of Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury, MA (Built the Martha-Mary Chapel there named to honor both his own and his wife's mother.)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ehenryford.jpg

Ford is reported to have gone frequently to Greenfield Village to his boyhood home, slept in his boyhood bed, tinkered with his boyhood tools and toys. Perhaps this in atonement somehow for his trangressions?

I'm not aware that Ford was religious in any way. The Martha-Mary Chapel is non-denominational.

Joe K

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

The Ford trimotor (tin goose) is directly connected to Germany and German aircraft. A very interesting story in and of itself.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

How many of us could say we would not change,if we came from a working class family and then ended up so wealthy .
Having the manufacturing facility to make any thing you wanted.
Man would I have some stuff.
Lawrie

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

My Dad, in about nineteen thirty or so,was a student at Martha Berry School in Rome Ga. He used to tell me of Fords visits and him giving out dimes to students. Dad often said that he wished he had kept his. Back then a dime bought a lot more than now!

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

OK so I spent an evening with my great uncle who went to Ford trade school in 1937 and worked for Ford until 1982. His dad, my great grandfather, worked for Ford from 1910 to 1958.

I asked him to tell me some good old stories about his time at Ford. He came up with two stories and they both involved a guy named Harry Bennett. According to him, Harry Bennett, ex con, was Henry's henchman. Harry was in charge of the dirty work.

Story #1:
One day Henry Ford looked out into the parking lot and saw a number of employee owned non-Ford products. This upset Henry and he ordered Harry to oversee towing all of the non-Ford products out of the lot, as far away as possible, and don't tell anyone where you put them. Both my uncle and grandfather drove ONLY Fords their entire life so this did not directly affect them. Sometime later Ford instated the A plan which gave employees a discount on Ford products.

Story#2:
Henry and Edsel apparently did not get along very well. Henry did not approve of the way Edsel was living. One day, Henry sent Harry Bennett to Edsel's house to smash and destroy an entire cellar of wine.

He was also able to describe the first time he met Henry Ford. It was during his time as a student at Ford Trade School. Henry would come into the classrooms to listen and observe. Then he described the old Ford Rotunda and how Henry bought it from the worlds fair in Chicago (I think), had it dismantled and reassembled across from the plant. Last he spoke about attending Henry Ford's funeral (viewing) at the Rotunda and then the funeral outside of the church.

He finished with a joke regarding how you know when someone has completely failed at life. The punchline was racist so I will not repeat it but it had to do with driving a Ford Edsel.

Re: Stories about Henry Ford
 

Harry Bennett has more than a few interesting stories. Interesting at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Bennett