The Four Trials of Henry Ford: And His Pursuit of the Dark Fruit of Narcissism

Written by Gregory R. Piché

Narrated by David de Vries

The Four Trials of Henry Ford chronicles Henry Ford’s forays into landmark litigation during the early years of the twentieth century. Ford was a man of extraordinary genius in the intricacies and workings of mechanical objects and in the identification and hiring of talented engineers and administrative managers. But he was constitutionally unable to permit a light to shine on anyone other than himself and often employed humiliating tactics to terminate any employee who rose to prominence.

Lawyer Gregory Piché follows Ford’s lonely defense against alleged infringement of the Selden patent on the automobile brought by a powerful automotive monopoly determined to control prices and competition in the emerging automobile market. He explores a minority shareholder oppression lawsuit brought against Ford by the Dodge brothers who initially manufactured all of the mechanical parts for Ford’s cars. He covers Ford’s libel suit against the Chicago Tribune for calling him an “anarchist” and “ignorant idealist” in the midst of the patriotic fervor during the US/Mexico intervention and the run-up to World War I. And finally, he examines a Jewish lawyer’s persistent libel action against Ford for the defamation of himself and his race in anti-Semitic diatribes widely published and circulated in his personally owned newspaper, the Dearborn Independent.

In recounting the Ford litigation, Piché examines Ford’s parallel manipulation of public media to advance his own political and narcissistic agenda. It follows the initial rise of his reputation as a Progressive capitalist to its ultimate erosion as a mean-spirited bigot and contributor to the propaganda that fueled the Holocaust.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Release date: Dec 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781094092232

Reviews for The Four Trials of Henry Ford

[55t8bird · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Very tedious reading. I did learn some things about Henry Ford and there were tidbits of interesting history included in this book. But overall it was hard to get through. The author goes into great detail about the daily minutiae of the various trials and at times it was hard to follow all the characters involved: myriads of lawyers, witnesses, judges, jurors. A more summary telling of the events would have sufficed in most instances. In all fairness however, after reading the introduction, I might have entered this book with a tinge of skepticism-- from the introduction on it seemed the author's intent was to use Henry Ford, with all his flaws, as a tool for comparison with a specific modern-day politician who the author apparently opposes. And while I may have very similar feelings about said politician, when I am reading history I don't want to be told how it should make me think of modern events. Good students of history are completely capable of drawing their own comparisons about the present day from historical events and they don't need a biased author telling them how to interpret history. Stick with the facts! I gave this two stars instead of one because I DID acquire some knowledge I didn't have previously about Henry Ford, Edsel Ford, the Dodge brothers, and their respective businesses.

[nielsengw_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was underwhelming, as I was expecting a little more historical story-telling. While all the legal analysis of the cases are mildly interesting, I found myself drifting off in thought while reading it. However, if you are looking into the minutiae of Ford's legal battles and the vagaries of early US patent law, you'll find some fun nuggets in this one.

[06nwingert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite contributing to the American mythos — the model T and the assembly line— Henry Ford was a highly contemptible man. He used the law to gain money and power. This book highlights the 4 major lawsuits Henry Ford was involved with, either suing someone or being sued, and how he fared in each trail. The book is highly researched.

[cyoder44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book goes into great detail about four lawsuits Henry Ford was involved in. Depending on your interest in them, you may find the book interesting or tedious.