Who inspired Henry Ford?

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Fordwright
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Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Fordwright » Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:26 pm

Henry Ford was fascinated with watches as a child. He learned to take them apart and reassemble them at an early age.
Georges Frederic Roskopf developed “La Prolétaire” (People's Watch) in 1867, intended to be affordable by the masses.
I suppose it's possible that young Henry would have known about him and his watch, n'est pas?


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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Burger in Spokane » Sun Apr 11, 2021 11:22 pm

A lot has been written about how Henry was deeply influenced by
Richard Klammitboffer. There is a long thread about it here on this
site.
More people are doing it today than ever before !

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Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by FreighTer Jim » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:50 am

Henry Ford amassed the power to change recorded events to favor his version of Reaiity.

“ Inspiration “ can be defined in many different ways.

FJ
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Charlie B in N.J. » Mon Apr 12, 2021 10:59 am

I suppose that old adage about Edison telling him to keep at it would fit here but I believe that he took advice from just about nobody early on.
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by jiminbartow » Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:30 am

Henry Ford idolized Edison in his youth and is the one person he respected most and whose advice he would have taken as a younger man (Ford was just 15 when Edison, who was 31, developed a working light bulb and invented the phonograph in 1878). It was when Ford got older that he grew stubborn and prone to listening to no one but himself. After all he had done and accomplished who could possibly be smarter and wiser than he? So he thought. Jim Patrick

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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Fordwright » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:24 pm

FreighTer Jim wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:50 am
Henry Ford amassed the power to change recorded events to favor his version of Reaiity.

“ Inspiration “ can be defined in many different ways.

FJ
There's often a very ugly side to total self-actualization.

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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Dan B » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:25 pm

Fordwright wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:26 pm
Henry Ford was fascinated with watches as a child. He learned to take them apart and reassemble them at an early age.
Georges Frederic Roskopf developed “La Prolétaire” (People's Watch) in 1867, intended to be affordable by the masses.
I suppose it's possible that young Henry would have known about him and his watch, n'est pas?
Is it documented anywhere what kind of watch it was that he disassembled as a kid? I’ve heard the same story.
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Fordwright » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:44 pm

Dan B wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:25 pm
Fordwright wrote:
Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:26 pm
Henry Ford was fascinated with watches as a child. He learned to take them apart and reassemble them at an early age.
Georges Frederic Roskopf developed “La Prolétaire” (People's Watch) in 1867, intended to be affordable by the masses.
I suppose it's possible that young Henry would have known about him and his watch, n'est pas?
Is it documented anywhere what kind of watch it was that he disassembled as a kid? I’ve heard the same story.
I remember seeing it in a PBS documentary about Henry Ford.

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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Steve Jelf » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:47 pm

One story I read was that at age thirteen he got a job repairing watches for a jeweler who kept him in a back room where customers wouldn't see a young kid working on their watches.
The inevitable often happens.
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by perry kete » Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:43 pm

"WHO INSPIRED HENRY FORD?"

It was Clara Ford who inspired Henry... Every morning she would kick Henry in the butt and say .." Get the heck out of bed and do something with your life!" :roll:
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Bud Delong » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:34 pm

I forget the name but i think the builder of the first horseless carriage built in Detroit must have impressed him?? Bud. :D

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Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by FreighTer Jim » Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:36 pm

Fordwright wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:24 pm
FreighTer Jim wrote:
Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:50 am
Henry Ford amassed the power to change recorded events to favor his version of Reaiity.

“ Inspiration “ can be defined in many different ways.

FJ
There's often a very ugly side to total self-actualization.
From an Independently Researched Perspective 🤔

From what I have learned about Oliver Barthel
( who Henry Ford sought out ) - according to his first person narrative which few if any folks have ever read ...

Oliver Barthel was most likely the single greatest influence
on Henry Ford with regard to philosophical beliefs
as well as automotive engineering and design.

Oliver Barthel applied for and received more than 30 patents for his engineering work during his lifetime.

History has dismissed him and when his name is mentioned those who are uneducated and wish to remain so - treat him with disrespect and disdain.

The history books will quote one or two sentences from
The Benson Archives Interview when it serves their purpose.

The only reason the interview still exist is because it was requested and given several years after Henry Ford’s death when Oliver Barthel was still alive and had full mental capacity.

He was 14 years younger than Henry Ford.

Oliver Barthel only gave one interview that was passed down thru the years - it is available in in abridged version that is difficult to read - online.

Oliver Barthel never sought fame or fortune.

Oliver Barthel never authored a book.

Just one interview .... 🤔

Josh Conrad at The Early Ford V-8 Foundation Museum
had it transcribed into an unabridged legible version.

I have read it several times.

FJ
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by TRDxB2 » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:17 pm

What inspired Henry Ford to make cars his way
The following is a very good chronological accounting for his success
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusio ... -american/
He wanted to sell an automobile that the Everyday American could afford. As Ford puts it, “I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be so low in price that no man will be unable to own one.”
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeameric ... rd_hi.html
"Ford was said to have been inspired by the animal "disassembly" line of Chicago's meatpacking operations. These production techniques further lowered unit production costs and allowed Ford to thrive. Workers disliked these trends toward repetitive, machine-like work, and many of them quit."
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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by TXGOAT2 » Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:22 pm

Everbody's smarter than the boss.... heck, he even had to hire a girl to answer the telephone for him!

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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by Rob » Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:27 am

Ok, my 2 cents...........

There are many, many good Reminiscences worth reading to develop an "idea" of who Henry Ford was, and who he may have been influenced by.

When I read Oliver Barthel's Reminiscence (several years ago, with a refresher last evening and this morning), I was struck by (and still smacked by) two things.
First, he appeared to be involved in almost every early automobile event that occurred in and around Detroit from 1894 on.
Secondly, he seemed to take credit for almost every early automobile event that occured............

Below is a link to his Reminiscence:

https://cdm15889.contentdm.oclc.org/dig ... 1/download

A few notes:

From an earlier post:

"The only reason the interview still exist is because it was requested and given several years after Henry Ford’s death when Oliver Barthel was still alive and had full mental capacity."
Mr. Barthel's reminiscence was taken in January, 1952. Henry Ford passed in April, 1947. The point being, the two events were not significantly distant from each other.

Mr. Barthel recites much early automobile history in his 1952 account, and as mentioned, earlier, he was present during much of the early motor car development. One other observation that jumps out to me, he doesn't seem to "stick" with one concern or interest long during this early period, when he was, in his defense, a very young man.

What I've found, over several years of amateur "sleuthing" of Ford history is not to accept one or only a few interpretations of events. While Mr. Barthel worked in the industry during this time, he was not often "in the room" with Henry Ford and his subordinates during most of this period.

I found his recounting of his assistance with the Ford six cylinder racer beginning in early 1904 interesting (the reason for my first read years ago). This confirmed the early beginning the Ford six holds within Ford Motor Company history. Otherwise, much of his Reminiscence confirms and recounts many reported évents in Ford and early motor car development in Detroit.

Bottom line, for me, this is just one of many many important Reminiscences. My other take, it appears to me Mr. Barthel's take on his own influence and importance in Ford Motor Company development and success may be a bit embellished. But hey, that's just me..........
Respectfully,
Rob


A couple of excerpts, courtesy of THF.

"It has often been said by those familiar with the dream that it was a lucky day for Henry Ford when Oliver Barthel crossed his path. "It was Oliver Barthel who put the "it" in all these racing cars that Ford made his reputation on."

DCBE6007-D1EC-4974-B2F9-2E30EAF6922F.jpeg

"It turned out that Henry Ford's greatest asset proved to be his inability to read a blueprint or drawing, together with his complete lack of technical training. That made it necessary to have material objects or samples made in order to visualize what was being designed. This together with his disinterest in the artistic probably influenced the crude appearance of the Model T."

B1F04147-4170-47A4-855C-C8AF8C5AEBA5.jpeg

Be it C.H. Wills, Joe Galamb, Ed Huff, Ford himself, or the many others on the team of young talent Henry Ford assembled during the early years of Ford Motor Company, FMC did not turn our "crude" or inartistic motor cars. From the Model A, through the brass T, Ford's were a wonderful combination of efficiency, simplicity, economy and aesthetics. That's why FMC became the largest manufacturer of motor cars in the world................. in 1907.

Again, just my 2 cents............


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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Apr 13, 2021 9:40 am

Has anyone ever attempted to calculate how much of the total money the Ford Motor Company made up to 1936 actually went to the Ford family?

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Re: Who inspired Henry Ford?

Post by TRDxB2 » Tue Apr 13, 2021 11:12 am

TXGOAT2 wrote:
Tue Apr 13, 2021 9:40 am
Has anyone ever attempted to calculate how much of the total money the Ford Motor Company made up to 1936 actually went to the Ford family?
The question is rather elusive. The profits of the Ford Motor Company where used for expansion of the company, dividends to stock holders (family members had stock). and salaries (family members were employed). Figuring that out by Family member would be difficult. BUT I found an estimate of what a single heir might inherit if he would have died in 1935. The example was part of the debate for the proposed new Revenue Tax of 1935 https://books.google.com/books?id=IDJKA ... 36&f=false
$350,000,000 in Today's dollars would be $6,669,564,748 https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
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The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either.
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