[11]During World War II, Benson was twice rejected from service as status 4-F, due to blindness in his left eye. [6] Winters were often spent at their residence in Hobe Sound, Florida (north of Palm Beach). Alternatively, many investors would make their stock decisions based on short-term earnings and rapid changes in the share price, a very different perspective. Benson suffered a heart attack in 1957 and was forced to cut back his involvement in the company due to ill health, but continued to be involved in many charities. Fields will also have to maintain Fords profitability and complete a major expansion of Fords operations in China, where the company is building four new plants, while nurturing operations in Europe. He died on July 27, 1978 in Detroit. It was a very warm, personal relationship, said David Lewis, a business history professor at the University of Michigan. Facebook. William Clay Ford Jr. is paid well to look after his family's fortunes, although they have quickly fallen apart. He headed an attempt to revive the original 12Cylinder Continental that was introduced by his father, Edsel Ford, in the 1940's. Two days ago, the corporate chiefs of the two giants angrily severed the Ford-Firestone business relationship that began in 1895. Advertisement. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. One more car to pass on the road ahead." Close associates of Mr. Ford said that his battles with illness were the principal reason for his decision not to play a major role in the company over the years. During her final 24 months, she was named executrix of her late husband Benson's will, and eventually inherited 50 million of the 100 million dollar estate. Used Cars for Sale. Structural Info Facts Filmography Known for movies The American Road 1953 as Himself (home movie footage) The Ed Sullivan Show 1956 as Himself Source IMDB Too much. But this may be due to the complicated logistics of his family life. The company's proxy statement of 1pri11978 reflected his ownership of more than 31,900 share of common stock; more than 1.8 million shares of Class B stock, which controls 90 percent of the voting power on the company board and is limited in ownership to members of the family, and more than 17,500 shares of limited common stock in Ford Motor Company of Canada. During Benson's early days as an engineer at Ford, he helped build one of the company's first experimental jeeps, along with his brother, Henry Ford II. Shortly afterward, he returned to his family's company where he again served in a variety of capacities in an era when the company was being restructured. At the same time, Benson also challenged his uncle Henry IIs control of the company and openly appealed to shareholders at the 1979 annual meeting to vote for him as a director. Firestone started a tire company in 1900; Ford started his car factory in 1903. The second best result is Benson A Ford age 80+ in Berkeley, CA in the La Loma Park neighborhood. Then-Ford . Violence was part of that, he said. William Clay Ford, Jr. also went by the nick-name of Bill. Ford also began its NASCAR participation during Benson Ford's tenure with a mixture of Fords and Mercurys. How much: $2.85 million. And they Said that his death was not expected to significantly alter family plans for what has been a gradual, but stormy, reorganization of the company's top management in preparation for the retirement of Henry Ford 2d. Mr. Ford left an estate, most of it in Ford Motor Company stock, valued at approximately $100 million. May 27, 2014. ''Was your cousin, Edsel, one of those people?'' William Clay Ford Jr. lives in Michigan with his wife, the former Lisa Vanderzee, and their four children. Company officials said that the brothers were flying back to Detroit. Benson was born to the Ford Motor Company's top shareholder. ''We can`t shed much light on that,'' he said. He also worked for religious tolerance and in 1951 was named Protestant national co-chair of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. At the time, he was almost sympathetic to the companys predicament, saying about the tire controversy, Its been very, very disappointing, very sad to see this happen. He also worked for religious tolerance and in 1951 was named Protestant national co-chair of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Thank you for your past business and for what I hope is a continued good relationship with us. Benson was lured to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series midway through the 2004 season and would find the type of success that he had long aspired for winning 14 races (all between 2006 and. Chairman Ford, however, is being kept out of the public fight leaving the dirty work to his tough-talking Australian CEO, Jacques Jaq the Knife Nasser. In 1963 he received a Distinguished Service Citation by the Automotive Old Timers. He worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a special agent. And the closing of ranks when Ford family scandals made national headlines including the sensational divorces of Henry Ford II, who married three times while he ruled the company nearly for four decades. Captain Ford separated from the Army in February 1946, honorably discharged at the end of all wartime hostilities, and came home. The Benson Ford Shiphouse can be seen on a cliff at a distance on land by individuals traveling to Put-In-Bay village on South Bass Island riding the Miller Ferry. The institution's first collections website only included 500 artifacts - the very first being a 1929 Ford Model A Coupe used by Henry Ford. Benson is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Detroit, Michigan, with his brother William Clay Ford Sr., chairman of the Board of the Henry Ford Museum and owner of the Detroit Lions football team (Died 2014), and sister Josephine Clay Ford, a noted philanthropist (died 2005). Other observers say that five generations of family traditions are being wiped out in the battle shared memories of lavish society balls, births, weddings and funerals. ISBN-13: 978--7858-3139-6 Purchased new from a retail bookstore. Activities included driving gasoline powered cars scaled to their size, camp outs, tree climbing, and tending to a half-acre farm created by Henry for their use. She revealed to PEOPLE she and her wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart, are expecting their first child . Select this result to view Benson A Ford's phone number, address, and more. View all hours. Ford won the Manufacturer's Cup in 1956 and 1957.[23]. Benson Ford Sr., with a history of heart problems, died of a heart attack on July 27, 1978, a week after his 59th birthday, aboard his yacht "Onika", docked at the resort community of Cheboygan, Michigan (originally an Ojibwe Chippewa Anishinaabe indigenous settlement, later resettled as Duncan City) where he was living at the time, primarily summers, and at other times, on Lake Hudson, near the northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. The companies are escalating their war over whos to blame for exploding Firestone tires on Fords Explorer vehicles, linked to at least 174 car-wreck deaths. He later served as general manager of that division. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. But noting that Mulally was already past 60, Ford convinced Fields to stay. Lynn Ford Alandt, Benson Ford Jr., Edsel B. Ford II, William Clay Ford Jr., and Alfred Ford (also known as Ambarish Das) oversee the trust that holds these shares. In a deposition taken last year by that law firm, Benson Ford, who is now trying to reconcile with the Ford family after years of bitter fighting, said that in 1980 he was part of a three-person ''team'' that included Fuentes and David Webster, who was not further identified. Jane Fields gave up her own career there to relocate with Mark as Ford moved their ambitious executive to company postings around the world. However, not his eldest brother Henry Ford II "Hank The Deuce", President, CEO, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company (died 1987), who was married three times, and who chose instead to be cremated, with his ashes scattered on the Detroit River. His father was the late Benson Ford Sr., a brother of Henry Ford II and a grandson of Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford. A fundraiser and fashion show was held at the Aston Martin of Troy dealership on April 28 to benefit the Francee & Benson Ford Breast Care and Wellness Center at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. Hollywood customizer George Barris took notice, and eventually bought the Futura from Ford in 1959. 1 He was educated at Hotchkiss School . [29][4], Benson Ford joined the Henry Ford Hospital Board of Trustees in 1946, and succeeded his grandfather Henry Ford as its president in 1947. It just looked fast. The Benson Ford Research Center, internationally famous to automobile historians and auto buffs alike, is home to the world's most comprehensive resource for researching collections and stories of the late Henry Ford, the history of the automobile industry and American innovation, its ingenuity and resourcefulness, and home to research experts who maintain, interpret and enhance the collections. His wife Edith was with him on their yacht when he suffered his fatal heart attack. Benson Ford was the second son of Edsel and Eleanor Ford and grandson of Henry and Clara Ford. When licensing for the potential unique ship inn could not be obtained, the Benson Ford was resold five years later as a private residence. Like his brothers, Benson also struggled with alcoholism.[16]. His older brother Henry II (1917-1987) was Ford Motor Company's emperor, serving as president or chairman from 1945 to 1980, while his younger brother William Clay Ford, Sr. (1925-2014) was the chairman of Ford's design committee and the father of current Ford executive chairman Bill Ford, Jr. Middle brother Benson (1919-1978) served a . Mark prefers not to answer personal questions (about religion). Lookup the home address and phone 3053674270 and other contact details for this person Benson Ford Jr is a resident of Key Largo. Rumors circulated that Fields might take another job, perhaps in another industry. '', Asked if he thought there was anything wrong with that, he said: ''Yes, a little bit.'' 70 Verified Reviews. Benson Ford Jr. (b. Benson is very repentant, said Pierre Heftler, the Ford familys attorney. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Shocking video shows the moment 19-year-old crashes his Ford Fiesta into a lorry after 100mph police chase - as he is spared jail. [27], After the death of his grandfather Henry Ford on April 7, 1947, at Fair Lane, Benson Ford was seen exiting The Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul (Detroit) holding the arm of his widowed grandmother Clara Ford from the funeral service on April 10, 1947. Between 2009 and 2013, Ford earned more than $42 billion in profits. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/28/archives/benson-ford-59-dies-grandson-of-pioneering-car-manufacturer.html. Benson was also noteworthy as being the one member of the Ford family most closely associated with Lincoln-Mercury, rather than Ford, where under Benson's guidance the experimental Lincoln Futura car was developed. The Benson Ford {1} was laid up for the final time at the Rouge slip in December 1981, being retired afterwards. Asked in his sworn testimony if Webster told him how he could ''take out'' those people, Ford said no. Visit Benson Ford. Through the succeeding years, they went through billions of tires together and made hundreds of millions in profits before it suddenly all went flat. It was Ford's first vehicle not based on a pre-war design. unpublished 42 transparencies : color. However, Benson persisted in his desire to serve his country and would not give up. Still, in 2006, the Ford heir passed over Fields when he picked Mulally for the CEO slot. He loved racing and drove the Indianapolis 500 pace car three times. Lynn Alandt daughter. In 1951 he was selected by the Detroit Junior Board of Commerce as the "Outstanding Young Man of 1951". The transition could be difficult, and rivals are watching intently. Miss McNaughton lived next door to the Fords in Detroit, and they attended kindergarten together. In some places, the dealership would actually put copies of the newspaper in the car, so that when you drove off with your Model T, there you had on the seat next to you a copy of The Dearborn Independent, said Hasia Diner, a professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies and history at New York University, when interviewed for a biography of Ford in American Experience, a series on the Public Broadcasting Service. [13], Benson married Edith McNaughton, also of Grosse Pointe, daughter of Lynn McNaughton, a former vice president and general manager at motor car rival Cadillac, on July 9, 1941, in Christ Church Detroit. Article continues below advertisement The Firestone family sold out in 1988 to Japans tire giant Bridgestone for $2.5 billion cash, and put it into trust funds to support family members. Benson's early education was at the Liggett School and the Detroit University School (his father's alma mater)[5] before attending the Hotchkiss Academy in Connecticut, graduating in 1938. His widow, Edith McNaughton Ford, president and owner of the Key Largo Anglers Club in Key Largo, Florida, and a member of the Board of Trustees of Henry Ford Hospital for 36 years, died in a Detroit hospital after a long illness, reported to be cancer of the throat, on August 9, 1980, age 60, and is buried alongside Benson. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. [8][9] The fun continued on Ford Motor Company property. Newsom, Musk dedicate former HP headquarters in Palo Alto to Tesla engineers, Adam Levine sues classic car dealer, alleging his 1971 Maserati isnt the real deal. In June 1943, he and Henry II represented the 41.9% of shares that had been held by their father, Edsel I. Two years ago, in an interview with the Detroit Free Press, Ford said he found in Fuentes ''the father I never had.'' 1 Energy Plaza. According to Carroll, Fieldss mother would send him packages of matzo and Hanukkah candles during his postings around the world to remind him to keep up his Jewishness. This is a business about product first and foremost, Fields said. He developed a close business and personal relationship with Max Fisher, a Detroit-based national Jewish communal leader, businessman and philanthropist, and with Fishers encouragement, gave freely to Jewish causes around Detroit. He served as trustee of the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village for 36 years and succeeded his grandfather as the second Chairman of the Board for the museum from Henry Ford's death in 1947 until 1951. In addition to his wife and dauihter, Mr. Ford also leaves his son, Benson Jr., 29. But what began as a warm relationship turned ugly, he said. ''It was said (by Webster) that they could take out all the people going up the steps, but that I`d have to sit in the seat,'' he testified. By 1999, Benson Ford Jr., a great-grandson of the auto tycoon, was gaining plaudits for donating a 500-year-old Torah to Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Michigan, a Detroit suburb. - Photo by Paul Sancya of The Associated Press. Detroit, MI (313) 235-1662. Detroit, MI (313) 961-0500. [4] Benson suffered from angina, a painful heart condition. Fieldss own new salary as CEO was not immediately available. 0% Complete. And things could also turn nasty in high-society circles. Despite his left eye blindness, Benson insisted and persisted, and was finally allowed to enlist in the United States Army in 1942, as a private. Saved . Contact Joseph R. Szczesny at [emailprotected]. On July 9, 1991, he married Edith McNaughton, who had lived next door to the Ford family in Detroit and with whom he had attended kindergarten. After the listening device was detected by the electronic surveillance equipment protecting the house of his uncle, William Clay Ford, Benson was pulled aside by Henry II and William Clay, and the bug was ripped off. Benson Ford remains famous for: being the first prominent person in the Ford family to actively preach religious harmony between faiths through his NCCJ co-chairmanship (in direct contrast to his grandfather Henry Ford); through the internationally famous Benson Ford Research Center in Dearborn, Michigan, which bears his name; and the now historic 1924 Great Lakes freighter Benson Ford Ship named after him, now known as the Benson Ford Shiphouse, in Put-In-Bay, Ohio. He was born in Lansing, earning cash as a teenager by fixing used televisions. Mr. Ford was a brother of Henry Ford 2d, the 60yearold chairman of the nation's No. And when Williams cousin Benson Ford Jr., who called himself the familys black sheep, sued his mother in an attempt to overturn his fathers will, and charged his uncles William Clay Ford Sr. and Henry Ford II with mismanaging his assets. Edsel had a wife named Eleanor Lowthian Clay, whom he married in 1916. 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