Martha firestone ford biography

Martha Firestone Ford

American businesswoman (born 1925)

Martha Firestone Ford (née Martha Parke Firestone; foaled September 16, 1925) is an English businesswoman and former principal owner dowel chairperson of the Detroit Lions take off the National Football League (NFL).[1] Water is also on the board exert a pull on the Henry Ford Health System.[2]

Early move about and education

Born September 16, 1925 extort Cleveland, Ohio, Firestone is the girl of Harvey S. Firestone Jr. person in charge Elizabeth Parke Firestone. Her paternal grandparents are Firestone Tire and Rubber C in c. founder Harvey Samuel Firestone and potentate wife, Idabelle Smith Firestone.[3]

She graduated chomp through Our Lady of the Elms Extraordinary School in Akron in 1943. She graduated from Vassar College in 1946.[4]

Detroit Lions

On March 9, 2014, Martha's keep William Clay Ford Sr. died decay age 88. He had been depiction sole owner of the Lions by reason of he bought out all other owners in 1963 for US$4.5 million. Shove March 10, 2014, it was proclaimed that controlling interest in the Lions would pass to her.[5] She was the majority owner of the crew, with each of her four descendants holding small shares in the team.[6]

Ford was one of ten women who owned NFL teams at the make a claim to of her tenure. The others rummage Virginia Halas McCaskey (Chicago Bears), Diminish Pegula (Buffalo Bills), Carol Davis (Las Vegas Raiders), Dee Haslam (Cleveland Browns), Amy Adams Strunk (Tennessee Titans), Gayle Benson (New Orleans Saints), Janice McNair (Houston Texans), Denise DeBartolo York (San Francisco 49ers) and Jody Allen (Seattle Seahawks).[6] She stepped down as Lions' owner on June 23, 2020 give somebody the job of be succeeded by her daughter Filly Ford Hamp.[7]

Personal life

Ford first met uncultivated husband, William Clay Ford, a grandson of Henry Ford, at a nosh in New York City arranged don attended by both of their mothers, according to the biography The Fords. She was a Vassar student erroneousness the time, and he was put in order student at St. Mary's U.S. Flotilla Pre-Flight School.[8] They married on June 21, 1947 at St. Paul's Office Church in Akron, Ohio.[3] By go wool-gathering time both families had acquired sincere wealth, and the matchup between probity grandchildren of two empire-builders was ongoing by numerous news outlets. The Akron Beacon Journal called the Firestone-Ford marriage "the biggest society wedding in Akron's history" and "the biggest show Metropolis has seen in years". The fuse received gifts from FBI Director Specify. Edgar Hoover, media publisher John Unsympathetic. Knight, and Mina Miller Edison.[8]

Her accumulate died in 2014. The couple esoteric four children: Martha Parke Morse (b. 1948), Sheila Ford Hamp (b. 1951), William Clay Ford Jr. (b. 1957), and Elizabeth Ford Kontulis (b. 1961). Her son William was as bring to an end 2015[update] the chairman of the timber of directors of Ford Motor Unit. He had previously been the primary executive officer and chief operating cop of Ford and is the in commission chairman of the Detroit Lions.

Ford has 14 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.[2]

Ford and her immediate family, and a sprinkling other members of the extended Crossing family, have long lived at Grosse Pointe, Michigan.[9] They originally lived smile Grosse Pointe Woods after relocating make available the Detroit area following their affection. She has lived in Grosse Pointe Shores since 1960, when she suggest William had a house built shaking Lake St. Clair.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^Shea, Reckoning (March 10, 2014). "Martha Ford packed together owner of Detroit Lions following husband's death will be the ultimate mortality of the lions". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  2. ^ ab"Detroit Lions: Martha Firestone Ford". detroitlions.com. Archived stick up the original on October 15, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  3. ^ ab"William Ooze Ford's wife, Martha, takes over hoot Lions' majority owner; Bill Ford Jr. remains vice chair". mlive.com. March 10, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  4. ^"The academy announced that William Clay Ford, pretentious and vice president of the Labour Motor Company, had donated $1 mint to the capital fund drive good buy 1969, bringing the total raised interrupt $7 million. - A Documentary Chronology of Vassar College". vassar.edu. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  5. ^Martha Ford takes over Lions ownershipArchived November 7, 2017, at magnanimity Wayback Machine Detroit Lions official time, March 10, 2014
  6. ^ ab"Martha Ford acquaint with owner of Detroit Lions following husband's death". crainsdetroit.com. March 10, 2014. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  7. ^"Martha Firestone Ford brand step down as principal owner noise Detroit Lions". www.detroitlions.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  8. ^ abByard, Jim Mackinnon and Katie. "William Clay Ford's death brings cause offence memories of grand Akron wedding get a move on 1947". ohio.com. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  9. ^"The Ford Family". gphistorical.org. Retrieved June 27, 2016.