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Term: Bardon, Thomas 1848 - 1923

Definition:

capitalist, banker, newspaperman, b. Maysville, Ky. In 1857 he moved with his family to Wisconsin, settling in Superior where he worked as a surveyor for the Northern Pacific R.R. (1867- 1871). He was the founder of the Superior Times (1870), and was active in its publication from 1877 to 1888. In 1872 he moved to Ashland where he began to invest in timber and mineral properties. These became the basis of his fortune, and eventually he controlled land holdings that included copper lands in Arizona, timber and iron in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and timber lands on the Pacific coast. He was an organizer of the Ashland National Bank (1884), and served as its president for many years. He was mayor of Ashland (1897-1902). His brother, JAMES BARDON, b. Wexford County, Ireland, was a resident of Superior where he was active in editing and publishing the Superior Times (1877-1881). A vigorous proponent of the development of transportation and industry in the Duluth-Superior area, he was an incorporator of the Duluth & Winnipeg R.R., the Superior Street R.R., the Inter-State Bridge Co., and the St. Louis River Water Power Co. He was also active in several land and development corporations and was president of the First National Bank and the Bank of Superior. Superior Evening Telegram, July 20, 1920; Ashland Daily Press, Feb. 2, 1923; E. B. Usher, Wis. (8 vols., Chicago, 1914); Who Was Who in Amer. (1943).

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.