The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America

Henry Ford has four grandchildren through his son Edsel: “They were set apart from all other children in the world, because they were going to become the inheritors of this vast empire” (165). They are, accordingly, trained to take on this role and to “justify Henry in his life-long defence of the system of hereditary monarchy in industry” (166).

The Depression has brought a new wave of kidnapping crimes targeting the children of the wealthy, and Ford fears that his grandchildren could be taken and held for ransom. He entrusts Bennett to find guards for the children, and Bennett’s role in the Ford household grows:

[He] became commander of the household troops; he came and went at all hours, and was the one who could always ‘get to’ Henry. It often became his task to investigate those who applied for interviews, and sometimes he had the responsibility of deciding whether the request should be granted (167).

Bennett takes on “Henry’s life, and the shaping of his mind and character” (167). As the narrator points out, this marks a significant change in Ford’s life; formerly, the person who held that role was the Reverend Samuel Marquis, the clergyman who left his position as head of Ford’s “social department” for ethical reasons.