Clara Bryant Ford

Clara Jane Bryant Ford (née Bryant; April 11, 1866 – September 29, 1950) was a suffragist, philanthropist, and the wife of Henry Ford. She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2017.

Personal life

Early life Clara Jane Bryant was born on April 11, 1866, to Melvin S. Bryant, a farmer, and Martha Bench in Wayne County, Michigan, at the intersection of Grand River Road and Greenfield Road. The third of ten children, she was baptized on April 19 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Detroit. In 1870, her family moved about half a mile north to another farm in Wayne County. She attended Greenfield Township District No. 3 School. Clara completed her schooling in 1883.

As the eldest daughter in a Victorian farming family, Clara learned housekeeping and homemaking skills at an early age, including cooking, cleaning, and assuming the responsibilities of her younger siblings. In her personal time, she attended social events common for rural farming communities, such as dances at inns and taverns. It was at the 1885 New Year's dance at Martindale House, a local inn, that she would meet Henry Ford and begin their courtship. They would become engaged on April 19, 1886. The couple moved to Detroit in September 1891 for Henry Ford's job at the Edison Illuminating Company. During their time in Detroit, the couple lived in eight different rental properties as Henry Ford experimented with his gasoline engine, Quadricycle, and attempted to launch a successful automobile company, earning Clara the title of "The Believer," from her husband for her patience and flexibility. It was in one of these rental properties that Clara Ford gave birth to their first and only child, Edsel Ford (1893-1943). Five weeks after the birth of Edsel, the pair would move to 58 Bagley Avenue, where Henry Ford completed the successful assembly of his first vehicle, the Quadricycle.

Between 1908 and 1910, the Fords purchased more than 1,000 acres of farmland in the Dearborn area. On this land, the pair built a bungalow in which they could stay when visiting the farmland, relatives in Dearborn, and get a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Fords initially purchased a large portion of land, known as Gaukler Pointe, along Lake St. Clair with the intent of building their private estate, but it was Clara who encouraged the move back to Dearborn.

Public Life

Philanthropic and activist efforts With the success of Ford Motor Company and the Model T, philanthropic interests became important to both Clara and Henry Ford.

Farming and gardening One of their first philanthropic efforts was the Gulley Farm, which Henry gave to Clara in 1908. Clara hired her brother, Fred Bryant, to manage the farm and its twelve workers. When Ford became a member of the Board of Council for the Protestant Orphan Asylum of Detroit, the farm became a resource for the orphaned boys, learning farming in exchange for housing, clothing, and food. Clara, with landscape designer T.G. Phillips, oversaw the alterations to the property.

An avid gardener, Clara was the president of the Women's National Farm & Garden Association (1927-1934). She hosted many events at Fair Lane, including the 1930 National meeting. During her tenure, she began a "Roadside Market" program which created an opportunity for rural women to earn their own income selling their produce at roadside stands. Her legacy in the organization was cemented with increased marketing of the Association, expansion of the Michigan Division, and development of new scholarships and partnerships. She served as the president of the National Farm and Garden Bureau. Amidst the Great Depression, she encouraged employees of Ford Motor Company to create urban gardens to aid in food production.

Locally, Clara Ford founded the Garden Club of Dearborn, serving as its first President between 1915 and 1920.

Women's rights During her life, Ford was an active suffragist and advocate for women. In 1918, she became the Vice-Chair of the Equal Suffrage League of Wayne County, Michigan, an organization dedicated to securing the right to vote for Michigan women. She routinely held meetings at Fair Lane, and utilized her husband's influence and company, holding occasional meetings at the Fordson Tractor Plant to distribute informational material about the cause to more than 7,000 attendees. Clara then served on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters of Michigan. Similarly, Clara Ford generously funded Planned Parenthood from 1945 until her death in 1950.

Later life and death Clara Bryant Ford died on September 29, 1950, at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.