Born at Mulberry, Tennessee, May 17, 1869;a son of Reverend S.
L. and Jane(Kennedy) Sanford, His family came to California in
1882, where he received his early education, graduating from the
Ukiah public schools, the San Jose Normal School
and the San Francisco Business College. He taught school eight
years in Mendocino county; first at Yorkville and Booneville and
later as principal of the Willits and Point Arena schools; He
continued his interest in evinced by a service as a member of the
Mendocino county board of education for several years.
On relinquishing school work he returned to Ukiah and entered the
field of journalism purchasing the Dispatch-Democrat, published
in Ukiah, January, 1898, and continued to publish it for several
years.
On Christmas day of 1898 he married Miss Nina Hughes, daughter of
Reverend J. H. Hughes, a prominent minister of the Christian
Church. They had one son, Henry Grady Sanford, born May 20, 1901.
In fraternal work Mr. Sanford was prominent. For four years he
was high chief ranger of the Ancient Order of Foresters and for
six years he was entrusted with the editorship of the Ancient
Forester, finally resigning owing to the pressure of other
duties. In the Iroquois State League he was honored with the
office of grand sachem. The Woodmen, Red Men, Elks, Eagles, Odd
Fellows and Masons also numbered him among the members of their
local organizations.
Identification with public affairs began when Mr. Sanford was
elected to the California state assembly in 1894. Satisfactory
service resulted in reelection in 1896 and 1898 and in three
successive elections to the state senate, in 1902, 1906, 1910.
Altogether his service in the legislature covered a period of
eighteen years. During his last term he had the honor of being
the oldest member of that body from point of service. For one
term he was a member of the board of trustees of the San Jose
State Normal School. In 1904 he was a delegate to the Democratic
national convention and in 1912 he was chosen alternate, while at
the Democratic state convention held at Fresno in 1908 he was
chosen chairman. From 1908 to 1910 he acted as vice chairman of
the Democratic state committee and in 1912 he was elected a
member of the Democratic national committee to serve for a term
of four years. For sixteen years he was chairman of the
Democratic legislative caucus and for a similar period president
of the Democratic Press League. His sobriquet of the "Gray
Eagle of Democracy" came to him not alone through his
forceful editorial writings in defense of party principles, but
also through his service in "stumping" the state in
numerous campaigns, where his familiarity with party doctrines,
his honest advocacy of old Democratic principles, his logical
reasoning and remarkable faculty of interesting and impressing
audiences united to place him at the head of the party in the
state. He was appointed Registrar of the United States land
office in San Francisco, California by President Woodrow Wilson
on June 25, 1914. He died in San Francisco in 1928.