Byington Ford
Ford, ca. 1942
Personal details
Born
Lewis Byington Ford

(1890-11-01)November 1, 1890
Downieville, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 19, 1985(1985-01-19) (aged 94)
Ventura, California, U.S.
Spouse(s)Marion Boisot
Ruth Arlen
Children3
Parent(s)Tirey L. Ford
Mary Emma Byington
OccupationCarmel Valley Developer
Known forDeveloped the Carmel Valley Airport and Carmel Valley Village
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Branch/service United States Army
United States Air Force
Years of service1917–1919
1942–1943
Rank
Commands26th Infantry Division (United States)
Battles/wars

Lewis Byington Ford (November 1, 1890 – January 19, 1985) was a Monterey Peninsula real estate developer. He was a major force in developing Pebble Beach and Carmel Woods. Ford established the Carmel Valley Airport, the first airpark of its kind in the United States, and developed a nearby business district.[1] He created the Carmel Realty Company, was a cartoonist, poloist, baseball player, coach in the Carmel Abalone League, and acted in and directed over 45 plays. Ford was a major part of the social circle and society leader in the Monterey Peninsula.[2]

Early life

Byington Ford was born on November 1, 1890, in Downieville, Sierra County, California to Tirey L. Ford and Mary Emma Byington. His family moved to San Francisco in 1895.[2]

Ford graduated from Santa Clara College in 1910 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[3] He went on to get his master's from the University of California at Berkeley, graduating in 1913, where he earned his Master of Arts degree. The thesis for his master's degree was A History of the County Court of England from 1066-1307.[4] Ford studied law at St. Ignatius Jesuit College, now the University of San Francisco, but gave up the idea and instead went into real estate.[5]

On November 17, 1920, Ford married Marion Boisot[6] in Pebble Beach, California.[7]

On February 22, 1937, Ford married his second wife, Ruth Austin Mattimore, in Reno, Nevada.[8]

Career

In 1916, Ford was director of the Animated Film Corporation in San Francisco, of which his father, Tirey L. Ford, was president. The endeavor ended with the entry of the U.S. into World War I.[2]

Military

In 1917, Ford enlisted in the California National Guard and went to Officers Training Camp at the Presidio of San Francisco where he was commissioned and then sent to France during World War I. He was captain in the 26th "Yankee" Division. In France, he trained at the Saint-Cyr cavalry school.[9] He was in the engagements of Château-Thierry, Saint-Mihiel and the Toul sector. On March 10, 1919, Ford returned home after recuperating from a poison gas attack suffered during an advance in Troyon, France. He brought a detachment of soldiers to New York from France.[10]

In 1941, Ford enlisted in the U.S. Army air force during World War II and became a lieutenant colonel.[11][12]

Post-war

While living in Carmel, Ford became involved in local politics. On August 25, 1934, speakers of the Carmel citizens' committee accused the John Reed Clubs of being a communistic organization. Ford, chairman of the committee, read reports from the national committees and showed charts seized in recently raided communist headquarters. Ford headed the citizens' committee to oppose the JRC and their activities.[13]

In 1919, working with Samuel Finley Brown Morse, Ford became manager at the Del Monte Properties in Pebble Beach, California, heading their real estate department for twelve years. He rode horseback through the undeveloped parts of Del Monte Forest to survey the land for development.[2] In 1931 he formed the Carmel Realty Company.[14]

Carmel Valley Airport

Ford developed the first airpark in Carmel Valley. According to the Carmel Valley Historic Airport Society, "Convinced that mass production of small aircraft would put a plane within the reach of anyone who could afford a car, in the late 1930s Byington bought the northeast corner of Rancho Los Laureles for an airpark."[15] He and his brother Tirey Ford developed the Carmel Valley Airport for pilot-owners. A nearby road was named after him called Ford Road.[16] Ford constructed the first two "hangar homes" when he opened the air park to the public on December 7, 1941.[17] In 1954, Ford retired and Peter Delfino purchased the Carmel Valley Airport property for $35,000.[18]

In 1946, Byington and his brother developed the Carmel Valley Village and Airway Market, first known as the General Store, which featured a barber shop, drug store, soda fountain, beauty shop and liquor store; all were in walking distance of the Airpark. Artist Bruce Ariss painted murals on each store to resemble a Spanish village.[1]

Later life

In 1955, he wrote a sketch book called A Cartoon Sketch Book for Beginners.[19]

Death

On January 19, 1985, Ford died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Ventura, California.[5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Discharged from command-rank of Captain and re-enlisted at rank of Lieutenant colonel.

References

  1. 1 2 Fink, Augusta (2000). Monterey County: The Dramatic Story of its Past. Valley Publishers. p. 202. ISBN 9780913548622. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Eisner, Judith A. (September 24, 1970). "The fabulous career Byington Ford". archive.org. Carmel Pine Cone. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Catalogue of the College of California and College School". University of California Press. 1913. p. 21. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ Ford, Byington (1913). A History Of The County Court Of England From 1066-1307. University of California.
  5. 1 2 "Byington Ford". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. January 31, 1985. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Bridge Guest Of Honor At Luncheon". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. November 21, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Bebble Beach Notes". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. June 15, 1922. p. 10. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Movie Actor's First Wife Weds Byington Ford". Oakland Tribune. Oakland, California. February 22, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ "World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". Archieves.gov. August 15, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Capt. Byington Ford Returns From France". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. March 10, 1919. p. 9. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Maj. Ford Name Troop Executive". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. November 21, 1943. p. 11. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Four Wright Field Appointments Made". Dayton Daily News. Dayton, Ohio. July 20, 1945. p. 14. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Carmel Citizens Attack Reed Clubs". Salinas Morning Post. Salinas, California. August 25, 1934. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Announcement". archive.org. Carmel Pine Cone. 1933. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  15. ↑ A History of the Carmel Valley Vintage Airfield: 1941-2002. Carmel Valley Historical Society. 2016.
  16. ↑ "Carmel Valley Air Park". Carmel Magazine. 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Living at Runway's Edge". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. July 3, 2001. p. 46. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Carmel Valley". The Californian. Salinas, California. February 15, 1954. p. 9. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  19. ↑ Ford, Byington (1955). A Cartoon Sketch Book For Beginners. OCLC 1285712016.
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