Edsel Ford

Edsel Bryant Ford was an American business executive and philanthropist, the only child of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and Clara Bryant Ford. He served as president of Ford Motor Company from 1919 until his death in 1943, working to expand the company beyond the Model T with more stylish and comfortable cars suited to changing consumer tastes. He championed the 1927 Model A and later founded the Mercury division, while also overseeing the Lincoln-Zephyr and Lincoln Continental and pushing for hydraulic brakes and stronger overseas production. Beyond the automobile business, Ford was a major benefactor of the arts in Detroit and helped fund Admiral Richard Byrd's polar expeditions. He died of stomach cancer in 1943 at age 49.