William Benson Mayo

William Benson Mayo (7 January 1866 – 1 February 1944) was chief power engineer for the Ford Motor Company.

He worked initially as a sign painter in Boston, but accepted a position as an office boy for a manufacturer of steam engines, Hooven-Owens-Rentschler.

In 1906 he moved to the corporate office in Hamilton, Ohio as a vice-president, handling the largest sales accounts.

In 1917 Mayo was given primary responsibility for planning and construction of the River Rouge Plant complex.

Subsequently, he was responsible for the construction of other Ford plants, using hydro-electric power at Green Island, New York and St. Paul, Minnesota.