Thomas Robert Bard (December 8, 1841 – March 5, 1915) was an American politician and businessman who was a United States Senator from California from 1900 to 1905 as a Republican. He assisted in the organization of Ventura County, California, and 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 was a co-founder of the Unocal petroleum company.
Early life
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.
In 1865, Bard arrived in Ventura County, California, to develop his uncle Thomas A. Scott's properties in Ojai. In 1867, Bard would become the first person in California to produce oil from a drilled well