Lester Legrant Bond (October 27, 1829 – April 15, 1903) was a member of the Illinois state House of Representatives from 1866 to 1870 and served as acting

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...

, appointed by Joseph Medill in 1873 when Medill left for Europe.

Biography

Bond was born to Jonas and Elizabeth Bond. and grew up on his father's farm in Ravenna, Ohio. He received his law degree in 1853 and traveled to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

the following year. In 1854, he formed a legal partnership with A.S. Seaton. By 1858, he had partnered with E.A. West, a law firm which remained until 1891 when it became Bond & West. Bond was one of the founders of the Republican party in Chicago. In 1862 and 1864, he was elected a

Chicago alderman The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

, representing the 11th Ward. In 1867, he became a member of the

Illinois General Assembly The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 181 ...

, and served until 1871. Bond also served on the

Chicago Board of Education The Chicago Board of Education serves as the board of education (school board) for the Chicago Public Schools. The board traces its origins to the Board of School Inspectors, created in 1837. The board is currently appointed solely by the mayor ...

. Bond rejoined the Chicago City Council in 1871. and served through 1873. During this time, when Chicago Mayor and newspaper publisher Joseph Medill traveled to Europe in 1873, Medill named Bond acting mayor of Chicago on August 18, 1873. Bond assumed the office on August 22. When Medill's term expired that same year, Bond ran for mayor as an independent on a law and order platform, supporting laws which would ban the sale of liquor on Sundays. He was defeated by Harvey Colvin, who won with 60% of the voted despite Bond receiving the endorsements of all Chicago newspapers except the '' Times''. Bond married Mary Aspenwall and they had one daughter, Laura, who was born in 1867. He died at his home in Chicago on April 15, 1903, and was buried at Rosehill Cemetery.

References

1829 births 1903 deaths People from Ravenna, Ohio Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Mayors of Chicago Chicago City Council members Members of the Illinois House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians Members of the Chicago Board of Education {{Chicago-stub