Although Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company, his associate James Couzens was instrumental in establishing its worldwide dealership organization. At first, Couzens had difficulty-enlisting dealers. He found, however, that automobile shows were particularly good places to find interested people. The shows attracted as may as 4,000 people a day in cities such as Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Indianapolis, San Francisco and St Louis. Couzens attended them all. By the fall of 1905, Couzens' diligence paid off; he had enlisted more than 450 Ford agencies and before long, the whole world knew of the Ford Motor Company and its vehicles through its numerous Ford agencies.
World's First Ford Dealer
James Couzens sold the first Ford, but he was hardly the first Ford dealer. That honour belongs to William Hughson, who became Ford's first agent in 1903.
Below an early Ford dealership of 1905
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