Thomas Robert Bard (December 8,1841–March 5,1915) was an American political leader in California who assisted in the organization of Ventura County and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1900 to 1905 as a Republican. He is known as the "Father of Port Hueneme" for his efforts in building and expanding the city,as well as the first and only deep water port in the area. He is one of the founders of the UNOCAL company.
Born in Chambersburg,Pennsylvania,on December 8,1841,Bard attended the common schools,and graduated from the Chambersburg Academy in 1858. He studied law in school,and before his graduation,he secured a job with Pennsylvania Railroad. Later,he became an assistant to the superintendent of the Cumberland Valley Railroad. Other business ventures included the grain business in Hagerstown,Maryland. During the early part of the Civil War,Bard served as a volunteer Union scout during the invasions of Maryland and Pennsylvania by the Confederates.
Bard was the California delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention,and later served as the director of the California state board of agriculture from 1886 to 1887. In 1887,Bard became a founding board member of Occidental College. Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on February 6,1900,to fill a vacancy created by the death of Senator Stephen M. White,he served until March 3,1905.[2] Bard was unsuccessful in his 1904 reelection bid. During his term Bard served as the chairman of the Committee of Fisheries (for the Fifty-seventh Congress) and served on the Committee on irrigation (for the Fifty-eighth Congress). One of Thomas R. Bard's notable acts during his time in office was to appoint George S. Patton to West Point.[3]
Family and later life
Contemporary photo of Bard Mansion on his Berylwood estate.
He died at his Berylwood home in Port Hueneme,California,on March 5,1915,and was interred in the family cemetery on his estate. His remains were moved to Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura,California,by the military.[5]
↑ "U.S. Army Olympians". Archived from the original on 2011-11-13. Retrieved 2012-03-29. The United States Army. "History of the Army Olympians: A General Athlete" WWW.ARMY.MIL
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