W. M. Ord

Candidate Biography:

William Marcellus Ord
Born: January 16, 1829 in Washington, DC
Family: Brother of Pacificus Ord
Married: Anna E. Williams (m. 1877)
Child: Anne Victoria
Died: April 26, 1882 in Santa Cruz, CA

1872: Surveyor, Colusa County
1878: Assistant Clerk of the Assembly
1880: Census Marshall, City of Santa Cruz
1881-1882: Judge, Santa Cruz County

• As you might expect from a man from a family that loved Latin names (he had brothers named Placidus, Septimus, and Pacificus), Ord's gravestone is in Latin. His epitaph reads "Sit Tibi Terra Levis" (Let the earth be light for you) which is a "inscription used on funerary items from ancient Roman times.
• BIG SHOES TO FILL: Although Ord was a prominent Californian, and served as a member of the Constitutional Convention that met in Monterey, Fort Ord (a military base near Monterey) was actually named for his father, Edward Ord, who had a long military career including service in the Seminole War, the Indian Wars, and the Civil War. Notable people including Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Joe DiMaggio, Leonard Nimoy, and Clint Eastwood all served at Fort Ord.

Source: Anthropographic Chart of the 17th Session of the Legislature... (Sacramento; Russell & Winterburn's, 1867)