Thomas R. Bard

Thomas R. Bard
Born	Thomas Robert Bard Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	5 March 1915(1915-03-05) (aged 73) Port Hueneme, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1864–1915
Known for	Founding Ventura County; U.S. Senator from California; "Father of Port Hueneme"; founder of UNOCAL

Thomas Robert Bard (born December 8, 1841 – died March 5, 1915) was a distinguished Californian entrepreneur and political figure who played a key role in the establishment of Ventura County. He represented California as a United States Senator from 1900 until 1905, affiliated with the Republican Party. Often referred to as the "Father of Port Hueneme," Bard was pivotal in the city's growth and the creation of its deep-water harbor. Additionally, he was among the founders of the UNOCAL corporation.

Early life

Bard was born in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and completed his education at Chambersburg Academy in 1858. He pursued legal studies and gained experience working for the Pennsylvania Railroad, subsequently serving as assistant to the superintendent of the Cumberland Valley Railroad. He also participated in the grain trade based in Hagerstown. During the initial phase of the Civil War, Bard acted as a Union scout during Confederate incursions into Maryland and Pennsylvania.

In 1865, Bard relocated to Ventura County, California to manage properties owned by his uncle, Thomas A. Scott, located in Ojai. By 1867, he had achieved the milestone of being California’s first individual to extract oil from a drilled well. The 1903 Congressional Directory documents Bard’s extensive business interests that spanned wharf operations and storage, banking, petroleum extraction, sheep ranching, and real estate development.

Political career

Thomas R. Bard settled in Ventura County, California, in 1864 and held a position on the board of supervisors for Santa Barbara County between 1868 and 1873. In 1871, he was designated commissioner responsible for organizing Ventura County. During this time frame, he acquired and divided up Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia and laid out plans for Port Hueneme, which later became home to his estate known as Berylwood.

He represented California as a delegate at the 1884 Republican National Convention and served as director of the state board of agriculture from 1886 through 1887. In 1887, Bard was appointed to the founding board of trustees for Occidental College. He was elected as a Republican to fill the United States Senate vacancy caused by Senator Stephen M. White’s passing on February 6, 1900, serving until March 3, 1905. Bard was unsuccessful in securing reelection in 1904. While in office, he chaired the Committee on Fisheries during the Fifty-seventh Congress and participated on the Committee on Irrigation during the Fifty-eighth Congress. Among his notable acts was appointing George S. Patton to attend West Point.

Family and later life

As a prosperous businessman, Thomas R. Bard held significant stakes in various oil enterprises. Together with his brother Dr. Cephas Little Bard, he founded the Elizabeth Bard Memorial Hospital in Ventura as a tribute to their mother. His son, Archibald Philip Bard, became well-known as a physiologist and served as dean at Johns Hopkins Medical School.

Bard passed away at his residence, Berylwood, located in Port Hueneme, California, on March 5, 1915. Initially buried on his family estate’s private cemetery, his remains were subsequently reinterred by military authorities at Ivy Lawn Cemetery in Ventura, California.

See also

• Bardsdale, California
• Bard, California
• R. G. Surdam

Further reading

• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Hutchinson, William Henry. Oil, Land, and Politics: The California Career of Thomas R. Bard. 2 vols. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.
• Lawrence Kestenbaum. The Political Graveyard