May 26, 1943: Edsel Ford dies of stomach cancer in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, changing the history of the automobile industry in ways at which we can only guess. He was just 49.
Edsel Bryant Ford was born on November 6, 1893 in Detroit, the only child of a not-yet-famous, and certainly not-yet-rich, Henry Ford and his wife Clara. Henry named his son after one of his closest childhood friends, Edsel Ruddiman, who became a chemist and a writer.
Henry made Edsel the President of the Ford Motor Company in 1919, at just 25. When it came to cars, Henry only cared about building and selling as many as possible, not at all about style: He was credited as saying, "The people can have any color car they want, as long as it's black."
Edsel was very much into style: He bought the Lincoln Motor Company in 1922, and converted it into a luxury brand. In 1927, he led the design of the replacement for his father's beloved Model T: The Model A. In 1932, he created the Ford Model 18, which became known as the Deuce Coupe -- because "1932" ends with the Number 2, or "Deuce." In 1938, he founded the Mercury division. In 1940, he designed the original Lincoln Continental. He also introduced hydraulic brakes to American cars.
Henry Ford was anti-Semitic, anti-Communist, and corporatist. He unwittingly served as an inspiration for Chancellor Adolf Hitler of Nazi Germany, then came to admire him. It's not clear whether Edsel shared this admiration. But, with World War II coming, he had enough patriotism to convince his father to halt the production of automobiles and start building airplanes.
The Ford plant at Willow Run in Ypsilanti, Michigan cranked out B-24 bombers at a rate of one per day. But Edsel developed cancer, and it's been suggested that the stress of wartime production led him to disregard his health until it was too late. Surgery was unsuccessful, and he did not live to see his various vehicles help the Allies win the war.
Edsel was outlived by both of his parents: Old Henry died in 1947, Clara in 1950. The Michigan section of Interstate 94 is named the Edsel Ford Freeway in his memory.
Old Henry named Henry Ford II the company's President in 1945, and, while he did preside over the development of the Thunderbird and the Mustang, he also created the ill-fated division he named Edsel after his father, and later the (literally) explosive Pinto. It was during that period that people began joking that "FORD" stood for "Fix Or Repair Daily" or "Found On Road, Dead." Knowing this, Henry II developed better slogans: "Ford Has a Better Idea" in 1968 and "Quality is Job 1" in 1978.
Henry II also made amends between "FoMoCo" and the Jewish community. When the 1st Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion, toured the U.S. in 1951, Henry II invited him to tour the Company's facilities. In 1973, he gave Israel vehicles for use in the Yom Kippur War. He died in 1987.
Another of Edsel's sons, William Clay Ford, bought the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1961, and turned them from a proud old team that was usually at least competitive into a joke. And his son, Bill Ford (William Clay Ford Jr.), took over both the Company and the Lions, and proved to be bad for both cars and football. Old Henry wouldn't have approved financially, and Edsel wouldn't have approved artistically.
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May 26, 1943 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played:
* The New York Giants beat the Chicago Cubs, 4-2 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Mel Ott, by this point also the Giants' manager, went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 17-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Bucs scored 5 runs in the 2nd inning and 9 in the 3rd to put the game away early. Ex-Pirate Arky Vaughan went 3-for-5 for the Dodgers, but Vince DiMaggio (Joe's older brother) hit 2 home runs.
* The Washington Senators beat the St. Louis Browns, 1-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. Dutch Leonard pitched a 4-hit shutout.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Bucky Walters pitched a 4-hit shutout, but needed his own single, a balk, and Eddie Miller singling him home in the bottom of the 9th to win the game.
* The Boston Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Chuck Workman singled Eddie Joost home with the winning run in the top of the 11th inning. Stan Musial went 1-for-4.
* The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at Fenway Park in Boston. It was made up as part of a doubleheader the next day. The Red Sox swept, 2-0 and 4-3. Tex Hughson pitched a 5-hit shutout in the 1st game.
* The Chicago White Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics were rained out at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 31. The White Sox swept, 7-1 and 4-3.
* And the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers were rained out at Yankee Stadium. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on August 3. The Tigers won the opener, 4-0. Virgil Trucks (5 2/3rds innings) and Roy Henshaw (3 1/3rd) combined on a 3-hit shutout. The Yankees won the nightcap, 12-4.
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