George Edwin Gard (January 16 1843 – March 10 1904) was an American law‑enforcement official and businessman who held the unique distinction of serving both as Chief of Police of Los Angeles (1880–1881) and as Sheriff of Los Angeles County (1884–1886). He was also an early developer in Southern California’s real‑estate boom of the 1880s.
Early life and military service
Gard was born in Lebanon, Ohio, to Dr. William V. H. Gard and Lucretia Williamson. Orphaned by age six, he was raised by his grandfather in Hamilton, Ohio. In 1859, at sixteen, he traveled overland to California with his uncle, initially living in San Jose before moving to Mariposa County, where he worked in mining and supervised sawmills. During the American Civil War, Gard enlisted in 1864 as a first sergeant in Company H of the Seventh California Volunteer Infantry, serving in Arizona and New Mexico until his discharge in March 1866.
Career in Los Angeles
After the war Gard settled in Los Angeles, where he founded the Los Angeles Ice Company, the first ice‑business in Southern California. He entered public service, holding positions as deputy county clerk (1871), police detective (1871–1874), deputy county recorder (1874), and chief county recorder (1875–1879). In December 1880 he was appointed the city’s fourth Chief of Police, a tenure noted for establishing Los Angeles’ first traffic‑control squad. In 1884 Gard was elected Sheriff of Los Angeles County on the Republican ticket, serving a two‑year term.
Real‑estate development
Following his law‑enforcement career, Gard invested heavily in land. In 1886 he purchased property in Gladstone, California, and in 1887 acquired a larger tract in nearby Alosta. He organized the Alosta Land and Water Company, promoting settlement, developing water infrastructure, and establishing extensive citrus and orchard farms. The Alosta area later became part of the city of Glendora.
Later life, affiliations, and death
Gard remained active in civic and fraternal organizations. He served on the national council of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1888 and as commander of its California department in 1889. He was also a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Gard died on March 10 1904 in Pasadena, California, at the age of 61. He is the grandfather of songwriter Buddy DeSylva.
Legacy
Gard is one of only three individuals to have held both the chief‑police and county‑sheriff positions in Los Angeles, illustrating a career that spanned military service, law enforcement, entrepreneurship, and regional development.
