The news story from November 25, 1915, described Henry Ford asking Thomas Edison to join him on a chartered cruise ship to attend a peace conference in Europe. Thomas Edison, even after this personal visit from Ford, decline to join the peace ship. Ultimately, the cruise was seen as a failure. Ford spent nearly a half a million dollars on the project.
This story remains to be important because it highlights the efforts that Henry Ford attempted to bring peace to the world. One would think that Ford would ultimately benefit from early support of the war and supplying the European Armies with vehicles. But, it was not until later in the war that the Ford Motor Company began to supply the Allies. However, it appears from history, that Henry Ford cared more about peace than he did about making money. This is an important trait to have in a business leader. I’m sure that Ford faced his share of criticisms, but he stood his ground on his values.
Henry Ford stands as an example to all of us to place values before money. Or values before political success. It would be an impossible task to place ourselves in his shoes in late 1915 after a stalemated war continued overseas for at least a year. However, it is important for us to see a man who could have done very well to support the war with his rhetoric and his products—but chose to support peace until he saw that peace could only come through the ending of the hostilities and the victory of the allies.
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Photo from The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]), 25 Nov. 1915. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84026749/1915-11-25/ed-1/seq-1/