Edison and Ford: A Lasting Friendship

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When he met Thomas Edison at a conference in 1896, Henry Ford could not know that he and his boyhood hero would become good friends -- exchanging gifts and birthday wishes, traveling together, even purchasing neighboring vacation homes.

Oriental Hotel on Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn, New York, Site of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison's First Meeting in 1896

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Snapshot by Henry Ford of Thomas Edison outside the Oriental Hotel, Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York, 1896

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Letter from Thomas Edison to Henry Ford, February 13, 1915

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Telegram from Henry Ford to Thomas Edison with Birthday Greeting, February 11, 1915

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison Inspecting a Coal Mine at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, 1915

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, 1921 Camping Trip

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Edsel and Eleanor Ford, Henry and Clara Ford, and Mina and Thomas Edison on the Private Railroad Car "Fair Lane," circa 1923

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison with Fort Myers Laboratory at Its Original Site, Fort Myers, Florida, circa 1925

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Edison's Dock at "The Mangoes," Winter Estate of Henry and Clara Ford, circa 1925

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Henry Ford Speaking into Thomas Edison's Ear, 1925

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison Meeting the Press at the West Orange Laboratory for Edison's 80th Birthday, February 1927

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1928 Ford Model A Touring Car, Owned by Thomas Edison - 1

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison at Fort Myers Laboratory Dedication in Greenfield Village, 1928

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Henry Ford Watching Thomas Edison Sign Edison Institute Cornerstone, September 27, 1928 - 1

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Cornerstone of Edison Institute Signed by Thomas A. Edison, September 27, 1928 - 2

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Invitation to Light's Golden Jubilee Celebration and Edison Institute Dedication, Dearborn, Michigan, 1929 - 2

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Henry Ford and Clara Ford, Thomas Edison and Mina Edison in Menlo Park Laboratory before Light's Golden Jubilee, October 1929

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Incandescent Lamp Made by Thomas Edison and Presented to Henry Ford at Light's Golden Jubilee, 1929 - 2

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Test Tube, "Edison's Last Breath," 1931 - 1

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