Baxter Ward
| Baxter Ward | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors from District 5 | |
| In office 1972–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Warren Dorn |
| Succeeded by | Michael D. Antonovich |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 5, 1919 |
| Died | February 4, 2002 Los Angeles |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Karen |
| Children | Torrey |
Baxter Ward (November 5, 1919 – February 4, 2002) was a television news anchor who served two terms on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Prior to his election on the board, he ran third in an unsuccessful bid to unseat Sam Yorty for Mayor of Los Angeles in 1969.
In 1974, Ward launched the nation’s first county-owned commuter train between San Diego and Los Angeles. Proposition 13 killed the project that critics branded "Baxter’s choo choo". But the legal work done on its behalf paved the way for the eventual Metrolink system.[1]
He was born Baxter Ward Schwellenbach in Superior, Wisconsin, and grew up in Ephrata, Washington. He was the nephew of Lewis Baxter Schwellenbach.
During the 1950s and early 60s he introduced a non-fiction documentary television show called Adventure Tomorrow with Dr. Martin L. Klein, which presented technology of the exciting years of the early Space Age. The program's producer, George Van Valkenburg described the series as covering anything that moves, flies or explodes. ,
Ward was a television news anchor first at KCOP-Channel 13, and then with KABC-Channel 7 in Los Angeles before he ran for Mayor.
References
External links
- Klein, Stacey. "Baxter Ward, L.A. County Supervisor, 1974-80". Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. Retrieved 2002-02-04.
- obituary at ourcamcapigns.com
| Preceded by Warren Dorn |
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors 5th district 1972—1980 |
Succeeded by Michael D. Antonovich |