Edsel Ford (Part 3)

As I said before, Edsel wasn't allowed to go to college, but because he was so highly intelligent (probably brilliant) he turned into one of Detroit's greatest executives. Competitors even knew and said this.

One example of Henry's odd and mean ways toward Edsel, comes in this story. The Model T was long in the tooth and had been for some time. Edsel and his allies had it planned that at lunch, Edsel would bring up the subject (something that was taboo) and his executive friends would chime in afterwards, sticking up for Edsel and his cause.

Edsel did just that at lunch. He mentioned to his father that it might be time to change cars from the Model T to an all new model car. Henry stood up and said, "You shut up Edsel!" and stormed from the room. Not one of Edsel's executive friends said a word. This was the type of fear Henry instilled in everyone. Even Edsel, Henry's own son, had a trepidation around his father. It was very sad for the supposed head of Ford Motor Company, President Edsel Ford.

Edsel had character unlike his father. He was well bred and aristocratic. Being this way, he did not have the fight in him, as did his father. Instead he was obedient, to a fault. Not to say Edsel did everything his father's way, he did not, but his father felt the company belonged to him, so he had everything to say, and no one else had anything to say. For Edsel, being grown up would become a tragedy from Shakespeare.