The Henry Ford
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THE HENRY FORD: SUSTAINING HENRY FORD’S PHILANTHROPIC LEGACY BRITTANY LYNN KIENKER Submitted to the faculty of the University Graduate School in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University December 2013 Accepted by the Graduate Faculty, Indiana University, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Gregory R. Witkowski, Ph.D., Chair Dwight F. Burlingame, Ph.D. Doctoral Committee Michael P. Moody, Ph.D. November 12, 2013 Philip V. Scarpino, Ph.D. ii © 2013 Brittany Lynn Kienker iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Journey Home Authors and scholars describe the process of writing through countless metaphors. In my case, it has certainly been a long and demanding journey, with plenty of twists and turns to keep it interesting. Under my current circumstances (caught in an indefinite grounding of all planes in the region), I find this to be an opportune moment to thank all of those individuals and organizations responsible for the success of this project. Following this series of research trips in Indiana, Michigan, and New York, I find myself exceptionally indebted to many people who have offered their encouragement, insights, feedback, and resources throughout this journey. Over the last five years, I have spent a significant amount of time and effort developing scholarship on the philanthropy of Henry Ford and, in particular, his efforts building the Edison Institute (most recently known as The Henry Ford). Throughout this experience, I have discovered how the Ford family’s philanthropic activity significantly differed from that of comparable American families who built companies, foundations, and museums throughout the twentieth century. Prior to this very long day spent in terminals, on tarmacs, and watching thunderstorms from inside planes, I have had the pleasure of working with Lucas Buresch and the other staff of the Rockefeller Archive Center (Sleepy Hollow, New York), who facilitated my experience working with the Ford Foundation collection, Rockefeller family correspondence, and related Colonial Williamsburg papers. These records functioned as the last puzzle piece in the story of the Edison Institute’s survival throughout the twentieth century. I would be remiss, however, to allow this recent experience to overshadow the incredible work of the Benson Ford Research Center staff at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. Since my earliest research efforts, they have gone above and beyond in assisting me with my projects. One of my undergraduate professors once stated that historians are only as good as the archivists iv with whom they work. I have to enthusiastically agree. The Henry Ford’s staff, including Linda Skolarus, Kathy Steiner, Terry Hoover, Stephanie Lucas, Rebecca Bizonet, and countless others, have collaborated to open collections, interpret illegible finding aids, search through unprocessed collections, and offer valuable insights into the Institute’s history. As part of this project, I look forward to finally sharing my findings with the staff and volunteers, so that the Edison Institute’s philanthropic history may be known in its place of origin. While The Henry Ford staff may have the most direct connection to the story of the organization’s own survival, other institutions also share a significant component of its history. I would like to thank Bob Kreipke, Brad Simmons, and Jim Vella of the Ford Motor Company and Ford Motor Company Fund for their interest in and encouragement of this project. The corporate staff’s enthusiastic response to this dissertation opened doors to otherwise inaccessible historical evidence. Additionally, they have reaffirmed my conclusions about the company’s philanthropy, drawn solely from primary sources, and encouraged my research into previously unexamined aspects of the corporation’s history. I would also like to thank the faculty, staff, and students of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. They have served as my mentors, colleagues, and students throughout my graduate career, encouraging me during my academic and research experience. Additionally, I greatly appreciate the generous financial support of the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence, and the IU Graduate School. Special thanks to my dissertation committee for their ongoing mentorship of this project. Drs. Gregory Witkowski, Dwight Burlingame, Michael Moody, and Philip Scarpino have each contributed to the unique direction of this work, collaborating across departments and universities to assist me in the development of this dissertation. Their varied areas of expertise have significantly impacted my career as a scholar and practitioner, and I greatly appreciate their ongoing efforts. v After a long journey, such as writing a dissertation or traveling through countless airports, one begins to long for home and the normalcy that it brings. For this reason, I dedicate this work to my family, new and old. They have taught me the true meaning of philanthropy in its every form and the integral role of families within it. Their willingness to keep me motivated (and fed) on long research trips, endless writing days, relentless editing sessions, and the many existential crises inherent to Ph.D. students cannot be overvalued. To James, Poppy, Mum, Crystal, and David: I could not have completed this journey without each and every one of you. I thank God each day for all of you and I look forward to our next adventure. vi Brittany Lynn Kienker THE HENRY FORD: SUSTAINING HENRY FORD’S PHILANTHROPIC LEGACY This dissertation argues that the Edison Institute (presently known as The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan) survived internal and external challenges through the evolution of the Ford family’s leadership and the organization’s funding strategy. Following Henry Ford’s death, the museum complex relied upon the Ford Foundation and the Ford Motor Company Fund as its sole means of philanthropic support. These foundations granted the Edison Institute a significant endowment, which it used to sustain its facilities in conjunction with its inaugural fundraising program. Navigating a changing legal, corporate, and philanthropic landscape in Detroit and around the world, the Ford family perpetuated Henry Ford’s legacy at the Edison Institute with the valuable guidance of executives and staff of their corporation, foundation, and philanthropies. Together they transitioned the Edison Institute into a sustainable and public nonprofit organization by overcoming threats related to the deaths of two generations of the Ford family, changes in the Edison Institute’s administration and organizational structure, the reorganization of the Ford Foundation, the effects of the Tax Reform Act of 1969, and legal complications due to overlap between the Fords’ corporate and philanthropic interests. The Ford family provided integral leadership for the development and evolution of the Edison Institute’s funding strategy and its relationship to their other corporate and philanthropic enterprises. The Institute’s management and funding can be best understood within the context of philanthropic developments of the Ford family during this period, including the formation of the Ford Foundation’s funding and concurrent activity. vii This dissertation focuses on the research question of how the Edison Institute survived the Ford family’s evolving philanthropic strategy to seek a sustainable funding and management structure. The work examines its central research question over multiple chapters organized around the Ford family’s changing leadership at the Edison Institute, the increase of professionalized managers, and the Ford’s use of their corporation and philanthropies to provide integral support to the Edison Institute. In order to sustain the Edison Institute throughout the twentieth century, it adapted its operations to accommodate Henry Ford’s founding legacy, its legal environment, and the evolving practice of philanthropy in the United States. Gregory R. Witkowski, Ph.D., Chair viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 Analytical Framework.................................................................................................................. 2 Literature Review ......................................................................................................................... 8 Founding to Professionalized Institutional Leadership .......................................................... 11 Philanthropy ........................................................................................................................... 14 Legal Environment ................................................................................................................. 16 Significance of Research ............................................................................................................ 19 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 23 Sources ....................................................................................................................................... 24 Conclusion