Harry Herbert Bennett (January 17, 1892 – January 4, 1979), was a boxer, naval sailor, and businessman . From the 1920s through 1945, he worked for Ford Motor Company and was best known as the head of Ford’s "service department", the company's internal security agency . While working for Henry Ford , Bennett's union-busting tactics made him an enemy of the United Auto Workers (UAW) trade union . He gained infamy for his involvement in activities such as in the Battle of the Overpass , a 1937 incident where UAW members protesting for higher wages were assaulted by Ford security guards. In one incident, he opened fire on a protesting crowd with a machine gun, killing a 16 year old boy.
51-1015: He had various residences in Michigan, including the Great Lakes Landmark and Ford Motor Company; built Pagodahouse, the Asian-themed boathouse on Grosse Ile ; Bennett's Lodge near Farwell , a log cabin -style house in East Tawas ; and Bennett's Castle, an estate located on the Huron River in Ypsilanti , where he kept pet lions and tigers. After being fired by Henry Ford II in 1945, Bennett left Michigan to live in California. On January 4, 1979, Bennett died in Los Gatos, California , of undisclosed causes. Harry Bennett
102-586: A U.S. steelmaker. The new Dearborn Truck factory famously features a vegetation-covered roof and rainwater reclamation system designed by sustainability architect William McDonough . This facility is still Ford's largest factory and employs some 6,000 workers. Mustang production, however, has moved to the Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Flat Rock, Michigan . Tours of the Rouge complex were
153-514: A billion-dollar company that you haven't contributed a thing to." That afternoon, on September 21, 1945, Bennett departed, ending his 30-year career with the Ford Motor Company. The ruthless Bennett era was finally over. Afterward, Henry Ford II went to Ford to tell him of his first executive decision: "I went to him (Henry Ford) with my guard up. I was sure he was going to blow my head off." Ford quite nonchalantly said, "Well, now Harry
204-430: A book shelf rotated to reveal access to an upper level secure space designed to be a lookout. This entry was behind the fireplace and led to a place with gun ports for defense. Near this cabin was an underground bunker , including a separate building with a Ford flathead V8 engine acting as a generator to make the property self sustaining. The bunker was similar to the ones at Ford's Fair Lane estate. The compound also
255-830: A group of workers attempting to organize a union at the Rouge were severely beaten, an event later called the Battle of the Overpass . Peter E. Martin 's respect for labor led to Walter Reuther , a UAW leader, allowing Martin to be the only Ford manager to retrieve his papers or gain access to the plant. The Rouge was one of only three locations where Ford manufactured the Mustang; the other sites were Metuchen Assembly in Edison, New Jersey , and San Jose Assembly in Milpitas, California . By 1987, only Mustang production remained at
306-496: A hill overlooking the Sky Valley desert 15 minutes from Palm Springs, California. The property came equipped with its own well, capable of producing 100 gallons a minute of hot fresh water. After burning his Ford Motor Company records in his basement office after Henry Ford II fired him there, Bennett retired to an 800-acre estate and wilderness area he owned near Desert Springs, California. His last public appearance came when he
357-525: A lodge built for him in Freeman Township, Michigan , on Lost Lake. The house is constructed of brick and concrete block with concrete siding fashioned to resemble a log cabin. It had wooden floors and wall paneling, a 128-foot (39 m) long porch, and a stone fireplace. Chairs and sofas for the house were custom made by the finest craftsmen and upholstered using the highest grade of leather that Ford acquired for use in their most luxurious automobiles of
408-411: A long tradition. Free bus tours of the facility began in 1924 and ran until 1980, at their peak hosting approximately a million visitors per year. They resumed in 2004 in cooperation with The Henry Ford Museum with multimedia presentations, as well as viewing of the assembly floor. The Ford Rouge Factory Tour had 148,000 visitors in 2017. Hourly workers from both Ford and Cleveland Cliffs facilities at
459-566: A policy called "speed up", by which the speed of the assembly lines was increased slightly every week, and employees were feeling the strain. The labor issues sometimes led to violent clashes between Ford's management, the police, and some workers. Henry Ford needed someone able to handle rough situations as head of his Service Department. Harry Bennett served as the head of the Ford Motor Company Service Department for over two decades, beginning in 1921. Bennett
510-548: A private airfield with an airplane at the other end of Lost Lake. In the event of an attack, Bennett could take the secret passageway, emerge by the dock, take a boat across the lake, and escape by airplane. An attack never came. The lodge and property were purchased in 1964 by the Boy Scouts of America , Clinton Valley Council. The property was developed for the Lost Lake Scout Reservation . The lodge
561-457: A security job at the Rouge plant. Bennett's interview for the job was reported to be short. He was asked only one question by Ford as to his capabilities. "Can you shoot?" asked Henry. He could. Bennett was known for talking and acting tough around the Ford plants. For target practice, Bennett would fire BB's from an air pistol at a small target mechanism on a filing cabinet in his basement office at
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#1732773375687612-451: A success. All Henry had to do was ask, "Can you take care of that, Harry?" and it was done. Bennett was so loyal to Henry Ford that when a journalist asked Bennett during an interview, "If Henry Ford asked you to black out the sky tomorrow, what would you do?" Bennett thought for a moment and said, "I might have a little trouble arranging that one but you'd see 100,000 workers coming through the plant gates with dark glasses on tomorrow." In
663-585: A week. The cause of death was not released to the public at that time. Grosse Ile (Michigan) Grosse Ile ( / ˌ ɡ r oʊ s ˈ iː l / grows- EEL ) is an American island in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan . Located just west of the Canada–United States border in the Detroit River , it is the largest island in the river and the most-populated island in
714-515: Is at the center of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge . A variety of river islands are located near Grosse Ile. To the southwest are Calf Island , Swan Island , Celeron Island and Round Island . To the southeast are Meso Island , Hickory Island , and Sugar Island ; to the east are Elba Island , Fox Island , Powder House Island and Stony Island , as well as Bois Blanc Island (which
765-431: Is back on the streets where he started." The Ford PagodaHouse / Harry Bennett Boathouse on Grosse Ile, Michigan is probably the best known of Bennett's residences and has been a Great Lakes Landmark since its construction in the 1930s. Curious boaters, motorists and tour buses stop and admire the architecture and its massive size, literally rising out of the water. It was designed by an architect named Angelotti and built by
816-591: Is part of Canada). While the majority of the township's residents live on Grosse Ile, the township itself contains over a dozen smaller islands—some of which are populated. Local residents sometimes refer to Grosse Ile as the Big Island , Main Island , or simply The Island to distinguish it from the township as a whole. The island is connected to the mainland by the Grosse Ile Toll Bridge and
867-595: The 1932 Model B , the original Mercury , the Ford Thunderbird , Mercury Capri , and four decades of Ford Mustangs . The old assembly plant was idled with the construction and launch of a new assembly facility on the Miller Road side of the complex, currently producing Ford F-150 pickup trucks. The River Rouge complex manufactured most of the components of Ford vehicles, starting with the Model T. Many of
918-649: The Downriver community just south of the city of Detroit . The island is bordered on the west by the Trenton Channel and on the east by the Livingston Channel. The island itself is divided by two canals. The area on the north, known as Hennepin Point, is undeveloped and the site of a historic lighthouse. The Grosse Ile Municipal Airport occupies the southernmost area of the island. Grosse Ile
969-675: The Wayne County Bridge , both of which connect to West Jefferson Avenue . Ford River Rouge Complex The Ford River Rouge complex (commonly known as the Rouge complex , River Rouge , or The Rouge ) is a Ford Motor Company automobile factory complex located in Dearborn, Michigan , along the River Rouge , upstream from its confluence with the Detroit River at Zug Island . Construction began in 1917, and when it
1020-469: The dredged Rouge River , 100 miles (160 km) of interior railroad track, its own electricity plant , and integrated steel mill , the titanic Rouge was able to turn raw materials into running vehicles within this single complex, a prime example of vertical-integration production. Some of the River Rouge buildings were designed by architect Albert Kahn . His Rouge glass plant was regarded at
1071-419: The 1.1-million-square-foot (100,000 m ) Dearborn truck assembly plant was covered with more than 10 acres (4.0 ha) of sedum , a low-growing groundcover . The sedum retains and cleanses rainwater and moderates the internal temperature of the building, saving energy. The roof is part of an $ 18 million rainwater treatment system designed to collect and clean rainwater annually, sparing Ford from
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#17327733756871122-476: The Dearborn Assembly Plant (DAP). In 1987 Ford planned to replace that car with the front wheel drive Ford Probe , but public outcry quickly turned to surging sales. With the fourth-generation Mustang a success, the Rouge was saved as well. Ford decided to modernize its operations. A gas explosion on February 1, 1999, killed six employees and injured two dozen more, resulting in the idling of
1173-834: The Ford Motor Company. Some history: When it became too dangerous for Henry Ford’s “right-hand man” Harry Bennett to live in Dearborn, the Fords moved Bennett and his family to this Island Residence. So cautious was Bennett that he was known to forego leaving by the front door, instead taking one of the yachts, or the tunnel under West River Rd to a car waiting near the Stables to get him to the Rouge Plant in Dearborn. The Upper Level with its arched bridge, tile roof and wraparound decks, features three Bedroom Suites, Venetian Glass Bathrooms and Kitchen, Laundry, /Second Kitchen and cedar closets in
1224-429: The Rouge. Visitors and co-workers were puzzled by the muffled sounds of pellets striking the target. Bennett kept lions as pets at his Ann Arbor estate. He startled fellow executives by bringing the "big cats" to his office and painting images of them. "Harry Bennett used to sit at his desk, with his feet up on the desk, and a target at the other end of the room and fire a 45 target practice in his office and if someone
1275-547: The Servant’s Hallway, Ford Co. Artists’ "cut-plaster" and faux-finish walls, gold leaf dragons, lotus & fish, mahogany-paneled Library and fireplace (with secret panels) The Lower Level is surrounded by a half-acre for parking, and features a hidden circular stairway down to indoor 60’ & 80’ boat wells, Servants' Quarters and a Wine Cellar with Mahogany Bar, which leads to the Tunnel under West River Road. Bennett had
1326-409: The company, the Ford women stepped in and demanded Bennett's ouster. In September 1945, Henry Ford II was summoned to Ford's estate and informed that he would be the new president of Ford Motor Company. As his first act, Henry Ford II, then 28, had John Bugas hand Bennett his walking papers (after which Bennett and Bugas drew pistols on each other). Bennett told the younger Ford, "You're taking over
1377-569: The complex are represented by UAW Local 600. A fleet of three Ford-owned Great Lakes freighters initially named for the Ford grandsons and later renamed for top company executives, was based at the River Rouge Plant. The deckhouse of the SS Benson Ford was transported by crane barge to Put-in-Bay, Ohio and placed on an 18-foot cliff as a private home above Lake Erie. In September, 2020 Ford announced construction of
1428-422: The era. The swimming pool beside the house provided more than the usual entertainment to Bennett and his guests: The pool was constructed with a viewing room (complete with wet bar) adjacent to the pool. A glass window looked into the pool under water, so Harry and company could enjoy watching their female guests swim. Since Bennett was always worried about being under attack, he included many security features in
1479-515: The facilities at the Rouge. These studies informed his set of murals known as Detroit Industry . The plant's first products were Eagle Boats , World War I anti-submarine warfare boats produced in Building B. The original Building B, a three-story structure, is part of the legendary Dearborn Assembly Plant, which started producing Model A's in the late 1920s and continued production of Ford full-sized coupes and sedans through 2004. After
1530-483: The fight while on his way to a meeting with Ford. Ghers, a Hearst newspaper columnist who had credibility with the police, convinced them that Bennett was not at fault, so they released Bennett without charges. On the spur of the moment, Ghers decided to take Bennett along with him to see Ford. At the meeting, Ford was more interested in Bennett's prowess in the street fight than the business at hand, and he offered Bennett
1581-462: The island from the Potawatomi, becoming the first European-American owners. The brothers had the island surveyed in 1819, and it was included into Monguagon Township in 1829. The island remained sparsely populated and an independent community, but it did not gain autonomy until the formation of Grosse Ile Township on October 27, 1914. The island of Grosse Ile is considered an affluent part of
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1632-423: The last vehicle built at the historic site. Demolition of the historic DAP facility was completed in 2008. All that remains is a 3000 place parking lot to hold light truck production from the new Dearborn Truck Plant. Today, the Rouge site is home to Ford's Rouge Center. This industrial park includes six Ford factories on 600 acres (2.4 km ) of land, as well as steelmaking operations run by Cleveland Cliffs,
1683-406: The lodge. The lodge was surrounded by a moat full of pointed posts. The bridge over the moat was kept loaded with dynamite. The lodge has many custom features. Hidden behind a hinged bookcase in the study is a secret passageway which leads to the dock. Every step of the staircase in the passageway is a different height from the others to make tripping more likely. Bennett would practice running down
1734-607: The mid-1920s, Bennett often drove to Ford's Fair Lane mansion to ask his boss if there was anything he could do for him. By the time the Model A production was in full swing in 1928–29, the morning meetings had become a habit. For the better part of 20 years, Bennett spent his days at Henry Ford's side. Bennett led Ford's opposition to the Ford Hunger March of unemployed workers on March 7, 1932. Dearborn police and Ford service department men including Bennett opened fire on
1785-489: The new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where their electric vehicles will be produced. In 2021, the vehicle center opened, and Ford's first all electric truck, the Ford F-150 Lightning , will be the first vehicle model produced there. In 1999, architect William McDonough entered into an agreement with Ford Motor Company to redesign its 85-year-old, 1,212-acre (490 ha) Rouge River facility. The roof of
1836-494: The power plant. Michigan Utility CMS Energy built a state-of-the-art Power Plant across Miller Road to replace the electricity and steam production, as well as the blast furnace waste gas consumption of the original power plant. As it ended production, Dearborn Assembly Plant was one of six plants within the Ford Rouge Center. The plant was open from 1918 to May 10, 2004, with a red convertible 2004 Ford Mustang GT being
1887-475: The protesters as they advanced toward the Ford River Rouge Complex . Four marchers were shot to death, and Bennett himself was hospitalized after being hit by a rock. By the beginning of 1938 Bennett was receiving phoned and mailed threats. His daughter Gertrude abruptly disappeared; the most recent prior threat had been "particularly nasty in its implications". A search run by federal agents
1938-618: The state of Michigan. The island is administered by Grosse Ile Township . The island was first explored and named by French explorers who called it Grosse Île , meaning "large island" in the French language. Originally occupied by Native Americans, the island was given to the early French explorers by the Potawatomi in 1776. The Potawatomi referred to the island as Kitcheminishen . Brothers William and Alexander Macomb , merchants and fur traders from Albany, New York and Detroit, took
1989-437: The steps to memorize their spacing in order to give him an advantage if pursued. One hidden room had access to a central point in the ventilation system, where conversations from multiple rooms could be clearly overheard. The roof of the building featured a guard station parapet at one end, complete with a fireplace to keep Bennett's men warm while on 24-hour armed watch when Bennett was at the lodge in colder months. Bennett had
2040-405: The time as an exemplary and humane factory building, with ample natural light provided through windows in the ceiling. Since the late 20th century, several buildings at the Rouge complex have been renovated and converted to "green" structures with a number of environmentally friendly features. In the summer of 1932, through Edsel Ford 's support, Mexican artist Diego Rivera was invited to study
2091-586: The vehicles were compiled into " knock-down kits ", then sent by railroad to various branch assembly locations across the United States in major metropolitan cities to be locally assembled, using local supplies as necessary. After the 1960s, Ford began to decentralize manufacturing, building several factories in major metropolitan centers. The Rouge was downsized, with units (including the famous furnaces and docks) sold off to independent companies, many still operating independently to this day. On May 26, 1937,
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2142-524: The war, production turned to Fordson tractors . Although the Rouge produced nearly all the parts of the Model T , assembly of that vehicle remained at Highland Park . It was not until 1927 that automobile production began at the Rouge, with the introduction of the Ford Model A. During World War II the Rouge complex produced jeeps, aircraft engines, aircraft components and parts, tires and tubes, armor plate, and tractors. Other Rouge products included
2193-516: Was 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) and in great physical shape due to his years of boxing and service in the Navy. Legend traces Bennett's relationship to Ford Motor Company to a 1916 street brawl in New York City. At the time, Bennett, 24, was a sailor and was just off his ship. He was saved from being thrown into jail by an acquaintance of Henry Ford, Bernie Ghers, who happened to witness
2244-407: Was a sugar bush that produced maple syrup. The property included a curbed circular drive. The barn on Geddes road had a cornerstone with "Harry Bennett" inscribed. Bennett had a second hideout for himself, his family, his henchmen, and his visiting boss Henry Ford, consisting of a group of buildings, a compound with 14 bedrooms, a 40 foot indoor pool, indoor sauna, and a barbeque pit over 60 acres on
2295-402: Was abandoned after the reservation was closed. Much of the furniture remains, but the pool has fallen into disrepair. Trees have been planted on the airfield. Harry Bennett had a similar outpost on the north side of Geddes Road west of Prospect Road about 3,000 feet (910 m) from his estate near Ypsilanti. It was a concrete cabin constructed to resemble a log cabin. A hidden door disguised as
2346-560: Was born in 1892 in Ann Arbor , Michigan . He went to common schools. As a youth, Bennett started competing in boxing and won some city bouts. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I . In the early days of Ford Motor Company, a security department operated under the name of the Ford Service Department. It was to try to control the growing labor unrest and suppress the emerging labor unions . Ford had instituted
2397-713: Was called to testify in the Kefauver Senate Crime Investigation Committee Hearings in 1951, in the same year he published his memoirs on his time at Ford. He then retreated into private life in obscurity out of the spotlight, enjoying good health until he was 80. The last six years of his life were spent in declining health. In 1973, Bennett suffered a major stroke. In 1975, he entered the Beverly Manor Nursing Home in Los Gatos, California , where on January 4, 1979, he died. His death went unreported for
2448-879: Was completed in 1928, it was the largest integrated factory in the world, surpassing Buick City , built in 1904. It inspired the Île Seguin Renault factory in 1920, the GAZ factory built in the 1930s in the Soviet Union , the Volkswagen factory near Fallersleben in Germany from 1938, the FIAT factory at Torino ( FIAT Mirafiori factory ) in Italy from 1939 as well as the later Hyundai factory complex in Ulsan, South Korea , which
2499-462: Was developed beginning in the late 1960s. Designed by Albert Kahn , River Rouge was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1978 for its architecture and historical importance to the industry and economy of the United States. The Rouge complex measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) wide by 1 mile (1.6 km) long, including 93 buildings with nearly 16 million square feet (1.5 km ) of factory floor space. With its own docks in
2550-441: Was invited in to have a meeting with him they better make certain that his presence was properly announced or they may have intercepted one of those." Bennett soon recruited a collection of football players, boxers, wrestlers, and Detroit river gang members as Service Department employees. He knew nothing about making cars, but he did not need to. Bennett's close relationship with Henry Ford and his ability to get things done made him
2601-514: Was launched and abandoned once it was discovered she had eloped to Florida. Upon the 1943 death of company president Edsel Ford , the founder's overshadowed son, Bennett was Henry Ford's choice to succeed Edsel. However, Edsel Ford's widow blamed Bennett for her husband's early death and effectively vetoed the appointment. Instead, Henry Ford appointed Bennett to the Ford Motor Company board of directors. After some attempted shenanigans with Henry Ford's will which would have given Bennett control over
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