Henry Ford II
1917–1987
President, CEO and chairman of Ford Motor Company
Henry Ford's grandson, who ran Ford from 1945 to 1979, took it public in 1956 and backed the GT40 that won Le Mans four years running.
- Born
- 4 September 1917Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Died
- 29 September 1987Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Nationality
- American
Biography
Henry Ford II was born in Detroit on 4 September 1917, the grandson of Henry Ford, and became president of Ford Motor Company on 21 September 1945. The young managers known as the Whiz Kids came in under him, and the 1949 Ford went from concept to production in 19 months.
In 1956 Ford became a publicly traded company. Not every bet paid off — the Edsel programme consumed almost half of the money raised in the share offering — but the Mustang, developed with Lee Iacocca, became a hit. After talks to buy Ferrari collapsed, Ford went racing on its own: in 1966 the GT40 Mk II won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first of four wins in a row.
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969. In 1978 he fired Iacocca after a personal dispute; he stepped down as chief executive on 1 October 1979 and as chairman on 13 March 1980. Henry Ford II died in Detroit on 29 September 1987, four years after his induction into the Automotive Hall of Fame.
Timeline
Cars
Ford GT
Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang FastbackHenry Ford II in 1CARS stories
- Edsel — Why Ford's Fourth Brand Lasted Only Three Model Years
- Ford GT — the GT40 Revival and the Le Mans Car for the Road
- Ford Fiesta — 47 Years of Ford's Small Car, from Mk1 to the Last ST
- Edsel Corsair — Two Very Different Years of Ford's Failed Brand
- Ford GT40 — the Car Built to Beat Ferrari at Le Mans
- Ford v Ferrari: How a Failed Takeover Led to Four Le Mans Wins
- Lee Iacocca: The Victories and Defeats of a Car Industry Manager
- Ford: How Henry Ford's Company Put the World on Wheels
- The History of Ferrari: From Racing Team to Listed Supercar Maker
Related people
Sources
- Henry Ford II — Wikipedia · accessed 13 October 2026