Ford founder mingled with the mighty
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But he also was recognized around the world as one of the men -- like his good friend Thomas Edison -- who in a profound sense was transforming the nature of modern life. So it's not unusual that he rubbed elbows with some of the greatest industrialists, inventors and celebrities of his time.
Photos are from the Collections of The Henry Ford and Ford Motor Co.
| George Washington Carver | |
 Ford would have had much to discuss with George Washington Carver, whose agricultural research found more than 300 uses for the humble peanut. Ford was equally dedicated to the soybean, using it to make plastic and fibers for his vehicles. | |
| Charles Lindbergh | |
 Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh gave Henry Ford his first airplane ride and influenced Ford's commitment to building planes. | |
| Mickey Rooney | |
 It's hard to associate the straight-laced Henry Ford with Hollywood glamour. But he found time, with son Edsel, left, to pose with teen movie star Mickey Rooney. | |
| Camping Trip | |
 Henry Ford loved the outdoors, and camping was a regular diversion. Rather than rough it, he brought along truckloads of equipment to make living more civilized. Companions included leading industrialists such as Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. This 1921 trip included President Warren Harding (in the white jacket and bow tie, to the right of the flowers). | |
| Spencer Tracy | |
 The actor gets a science lesson from the auto pioneer. | |
| President Harding | |
 President Warren Harding was a companion of the auto giant and in 1921 joined him on one of his camping extravaganzas. | |
| Orville Wright | |
 Aviation pioneer Orville Wright, left, was admired by Henry Ford, who brought the Wright brothers' bicycle shop from Dayton, Ohio, to Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich. They flank Charles Kettering, General Motors' technological genius. | |
| Charlie Chaplin | |
 Edsel Ford, left, and his father entertain the actor Charlie Chaplin. | |
| President Coolidge | |
 Henry Ford, third from left, is flanked by President Calvin Coolidge, second from left, and Thomas Edison. | |
| Thomas Edison | |
 As a young man, Ford worked for Thomas Edison at the great inventor's Detroit electricity plant. Edison encouraged Ford's tinkering with automobiles, and the two became lifelong friends. |
