Los Angeles herald., 1890-09-17
EDWARD B. POND.
The Democratic Standard
Bearer and His Career.
A Life Crowded With Great
Success and Usefulness.
He Will Visit Los Angeles Today and
Speak at the Pavilion Tonight.
A Career Public and Private With No
Spot or Stain in It's Forty Years
In California.

lOr Cne Important OlllCe Ol SOVeTllOT Ol
this great state. 1t will be his first pub
lie appearance in this city and the local
Democracy may take a just pride in
presenting to the people their standard
bearer. He is a man to be proud ol
from whatever standpoint ne may be
looked at. He will speak to
the people and his words will
have weight with all who hear
them. 1t has been remarked, with sound
philosophy, that "words are mighty il
they have a man behind them" Those
who hear Mayor Pond speak will &C
away with the impression that there is
great deal of sterling manhood behind
the words. Not that mere orator will
utter gracefully rounded sentences
in trained voice, with carefully
studied emphasis and gestures. They
will hear man of keen intelligence and
ripe experience discuss the affairs o
this state in practical business-like
manner, as if he new what he was talk
ing about. But the people will hear this
for themselves, and now who is E. B.
Pond?
The Hon. Edward B. Pond was born
in northern New York, Jefferson county,
bordering on Lake Ontario. on the 18th
OF December, 1888. So he is 56 years of
age. He comes from the hardy Ameri-
can stock for which the region of his
birth is famed. His county took its
name from that of the great and hon
ored father of Democracy, and the cause
of that party Mr.. Pond espoused from
his earliest years. He was sent'-to
the schools of the neighborhood,
which were better than one might sup
pose in such a region as northern New
York was half a century ago. He even
found opportunity there to graduate
from an excellent academy, where he re-
ceived an education not so far behind
some of our colleges as might appear at
cursory inspection.
When he was barely out
of his teens young Pond turned his
back upon his native heath and the
home OF his birth with all its loved ones,
and with his face to the setting sun
sought the shores of the far Pacific and
California the land OF gold, whose name
was then on the lips Of all. He prodded
a big gang of oxen across the plains, the
swollen rivers and frozen mount
aims of the continent, and in 1854 landed
in San Francisco hardened by his toll
some journey across the continent,
ripened into manhood by its hard ex-
periences, and alert for whatever might
open up before his ambition.
The young man went up to Oroville,
in Butte county, among the miners, and
soon got into business for himself. He
engaged in a lucrative trade in cattle to
supply the mines with meat, and young
as he was, he developed an aptitude for
business which led him on to fortune.
In few years E. b. Pond had developed
so much of self-reliance of character and
so much ambition of the most laudable
kind, that he planned and proceeded to
execute quite large scheme. He sold
out all his interests in Oroville, took the
proceeds in his hands, again crossed the
continent, and going down to Texas
invested all his means in large band of
cattle which he proceeded to drive to
California. This was in 1859.
1t was no child's play to cross the des-
erts OF Arizona and California, with a
band of cattle, through region then lit
tie known, where grass and water were
scarce over long stretches of the country
and where the murderous marauders,
the Apache Indians ,lurked behind every
rock or bush ready at any unguarded
moment to shoot and scalp the drover
and stampede the stock. In spite of an
ever watchful vigilance, the Indians sew
eral times stampeded the cattle, but
Pond, nothing discouraged, rallied the
band again, beat off the red devils, and
landed the greater part Of his
stock safely in California. He
sold the cattle at good prices,
clearing up handsome profit
on his venture, and taking the proceeds
he went to Chico and engaged in mer-
chandising. Ponds frank and affable
manner, hard sense and manly bearing
won the admiration and confidence OF
the hardy pioneers of the foothills, and
he prospered in all he undertook.
So successful was he at Chico, that by
1868 he was ready to enter larger field
OF operations, and removed to San Fran
cisco, where he established the whole
sale house of Pond, Reynolds q Co. The
same straightforward methods of do
ing business, the same pleasant
manners that had led to success in the
mountains, brought trade and prosperity
in San Francisco. For ten or more
wears he continued in this business and
by his scrupulous honesty in all his
dealings, won for himself measure OF
confidence and esteem among his fellow
men rarely enjoyed by any.
Pond never touched a venture that
did not prosper. He has never in all
his nearly forty years in the state known
what it is to fail in any undertaking.
His business in San Francisco grew and
prospered so that some dozen years ago
he was able to retire from it, and engage
as capitalist in many enterprises In
the way of banking, insurance and man
ufacturing. His sound judgment and
conservative methods in financial affairs
are so we'll known in San Francisco that
he is sought for in all sorts OF combina-
tions of capital, and to put his name on
a board of directors is regarded as sure
to make scheme popular with business
men.
Il. B. Pond never sought office, or to
enter public life. But in 1882, when
San Francisco was in hopeless state OF
ENHANCEMENT because OF the infamous
way in which she had been mis-
governed Ponds friends pressed him
into running for a seat in the
board of supervisors. He was
elected by 1900 majority, running far
ahead of his ticket. So we'll did he take
care of the interests of the city, and so
great an aptitude did he display for the
business OF the office that in 1884 he was
constrained by the solicitations OF the
people to run again. He was on the
no,,onrot;o t;cket and all the superVi-