Clara Jane Bryant Ford was born in 1866 on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan, not far from what would become her beloved estate, Fair Lane, and the world headquarters of her husband’s automotive empire Ford Motor Company. With a passion and commitment to civic responsibility, Clara left a legacy of her own. She became a driving force behind a range of causes aimed at offering opportunities for women, with a focus on education, health care, and horticulture. She was an advocate for women’s suffrage, established the Henry Ford Hospital School of Nursing and Hygiene, and supported institutions such as Berry College and Vista Maria. Clara lived at Fair Lane from 1915 until her death in 1950. Other influential women whose stories can be found at Fair Lane include Marion Mahony Griffin, the first architect of record on the design and construction of Fair Lane, and Ellen Biddle Shipman, famous landscape architect of the early 20th century who designed an English Perennial Garden at the Estate.