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| Henry Ford II |
Henry Ford II
Born this day in 1917
Extra at the Nassau Casino in Thunderball
Henry Ford II was born in Detroit, Michigan and was the
grandson of Henry Ford and son of Edsel Ford. He was surrounded by affluence and
attended Yale University. He was often known as “HF2” or “ Hank the Deuce.”
HF2 served in the Navy during World War II and it was in
1943 that his father passed away. Ford could not take over the presidency of
the automobile company; hence, his grandfather returned as head of the
organization. The senior Ford no longer had the mental capacity to
run the company, however he so anyway, until the end of the war. In fact, his inability
to lead led to a loss of $10 million per month. I cannot even fathom that amount of money be lost ever, let alone in a month and over several consecutive months!
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| 1949 Ford |
After leaving the Navy, HF2 joined the management team at
his family’s company and in two years, he became president of a company that was in
decline. Without his father to groom him, Ford surrounded himself with seasoned
executives and took on an aggressive management style. After four year at the
helm, HF2 and a team of “Whiz Kids" he selected, developed the 1949 Ford, which brought the company back.
HF2’s management of Ford was punctuated by several successes
– Mustang and Fiesta – and just as many failures – can we say Edsel? He hired
and fired Lee Iacocca. HF2 retired in 1982, but continued to have authority
until his death in 1987.
HF2 is one of the few Bond alums to have only one acting
credit their name, a James Bond film of course.
© Copyright. Michele
Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are
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