[AT] Bill Porter, GM Automotive Designer | Edsel Ford succeeds Father as President

Wed Jan 1 13:12:33 PST 2020

Mr. and Mrs. Elton:
     As a fan of the tractor designer Harry Ferguson, the Ford Motor leadership transition that is most of interest to me is the election of Henry Ford 2 to the presidency of Ford Motor Company in 1945. HF2 ended the verbal agreement between Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford to jointly produce three point hitch tractors.

This led directly to the creation of Harry Ferguson Inc. and the building of the still standing Ferguson factory in Detroit. production of Ferguson tractors started there in 1948, a month before my birth.

I have joined the Society of Automotive Historians for what I can learn about Harry Ferguson, Henry Ford, and the two tractor brands.

James Peck
Participant
Antique tractors email group

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5103068/

From: Elton Mary
Okay, you might get this twice, some people are on the renewed list and some have still yet to renew--you know who you are. 
Happy New Year to all.
Mary Elton, SAH Leland Chapter

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:
Bill Porter, GM Automotive Designer | Edsel Ford succeeds Father as President
Date:
2020-01-01 5:50 pm
From:
MotorCities National Heritage Area <mailto:bsadler at motorcities.org>

  Driving Force in Preserving Our Automotive Heritage
January 1, 2020

Story of the Week

By Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher

Throughout the history of automotive design, there have been many designers that made a positive mark from which we can learn a great deal. 

I was introduced to Bill Porter when I was a student at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, studying Industrial Design. I had taken a course in Industrial Design history taught by Porter, who was still designing automobiles for General Motors at the time. It was the best of times for me as a student because I learned so much from his class about automotive history and industrial design. Porter was one of the best instructors at the school because of his great talent and leadership in automotive design and for being a perfect gentleman and presenting his love for automobiles as well. 

Porter's career started when he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of Louisville in 1953. He once said, "I found no greater depth or sophistication than I had experienced in Louisville." In 1960, Porter received his Masters in Industrial Design from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. 

The General Motors design team hired Porter in 1958. In his early days with GM, he became a talented automotive designer, which would lead to the development of some of the most popular styling models that GM manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s introduced the popular muscle car era, which offered power as well as great automotive styling. 
To learn more about Porter and see more examples of his design work, click below. 

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This Week in Automotive Heritage

On January 1, 1919, Edsel Ford, the son of auto industry pioneer Henry Ford, succeeded his father as president of the Ford Motor Company. 

Edsel ascended to the top spot after his father resigned in December 1918 after a disagreement with stockholders. However, father and son soon bought the dissenting investors' stock and regained control of Ford Motor Company.
Edsel Bryant Ford, the only child of Henry and his wife Clara, was born November 6, 1893, in Detroit.
As president, one of Edsel's key contributions was to the styling of Ford's cars, believing they could be stylish as well as functional. In 1922, at Edsel's behest, Ford Motor Company entered the luxury vehicle market when it acquired the failing Lincoln Motor Company for $8 million. Edsel was later involved in developing elegant models like the Lincoln Continental, launched in the late 1930s.
Edsel Ford died of cancer at the age of 49 on May 26, 1943. His father then resumed the presidency of the company.

If you enjoy our historical content and would like to see it more regularly than weekly, please like MotorCities National Heritage Area on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @motorcities. Look for #ThisDayInAutoHeritage. 

Welcome to 2020!

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