‘Great business leader’ and Ford Motor Company director William dies aged 88

William Clay Ford Senior had been a director at the company for nearly 60 years. He died of pneumonia at his home in Detroit, aged 88 (Getty)

The last surviving grandson of car pioneer Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, has died.

William Clay Ford Senior had been a director at the company for nearly 60 years. He died of pneumonia at his home in Detroit, aged 88.

William Clay Ford Junior, his son and executive chairman of Ford Motors, said: “My father was a great business leader and humanitarian who dedicated his life to the company and the community.”

Mr Clay Ford Senior had joined the company’s board of directors in 1948, a year after his grandfather’s death.