Edward Gray is somewhat of a lost name in the history of Henry Ford’s Highland Park Model T plant, made famous as the first highly successful assembly line auto plant. Edward Gray was born in Peotone, Illinois in April 1872. He moved from there to Stoughton, Wisconsin then to Bradford, Pennsylvania, honing his skills in engineering and construction. In 1905 he settled in at Riverside Engine Company in Oil City, Pennsylvania, a company he formed with local oilman, John B. Smithman, who had also owned a streetcar line that he recently sold but still had a plant for making gas engines.
With Edward Gray’s designs gaining fame for their durability, Henry Ford ordered his first power plant for the Highland Park new Model T factory from Riverside Engine and soon ordered two more. Seeing Gray’s skills, he hired him away from Riverside in 1909 to be his chief engineer, one of the few ‘Ford Lieutenants’ with an actual title. Edward Gray then designed most of the workspace as Albert Kahn designed a building to house the new plant. Gray also designed the next ten power plants that were built in Ohio (the first being a 5000hp ‘gas steam engine’, then nine more slightly larger 6000hp versions). He left Ford in August of 1914 to pursue real estate and other engineer jobs (the Detroit Edison Conner’s Creek plant for one). The property on the Detroit River became known as ‘Grayhaven’ and is where Gar Wood, the Fishers and other wealthy Detroiters built mansions in the 20s and 30s.
Edward Gray died in 1939, with what would seem like little notice by the general public.
Gray lived on his yacht, the Mildred G. III while developing Grayhaven starting around 1916 and is listed there on the 1920 Census.
Article from ‘Power and the Engineer’ announcing the purchase of Riverside
Engines for Highland Park
My grandfather, Elmer LeSuer begins work for Edward Gray at Riverside Engine, Oil City, PA
My grandfather listed in 1912 as working for Edward Gray, not Ford Motor as I once thought.
Continues with Gray working at the Detroit Edison Conner’s Creek plant in 1917
Now working for Gar Wood at Grayhaven and living just up the street on Continental. Grandpa died in 1945.
My mother with Phil Wood’s boat, one of Gar’s brothers, at Grayhaven c. 1943 during the time grandpa worked for Gar Wood.
Elmer LeSuer, my grandfather 
My great-grandfather was a foreman at the Model T plant.
Did I ask you what years he worked there? Cool!
We discovered some interesting history on Jens Lyon’s great-grandfather, he was one of the first to put the Model T to the test! Working as a foreman in the shipping department he was using one of the first ones built to do deliveries and visit suppliers and reported back that he was impressed with the Model T, c. 1908.
Reblogged this on ashli87.
Edward Grey was my 7th great Uncle, married to my 7th great Aunt Agnes McGuigan. Agnes was the sister of my 7th great grandmother Mary (McGuigan) McCartney