John William Beard moved to Imperial County in 1952 as a lawyer and helped organize its Democratic Party. Elected to the state senate in 1956, he supported the liberal agenda of the California Democratic Council, of which he was a founding member. He cosponsored legislation on fair employment, fair housing, community mental health care, hospital treatment of narcotics addicts, and miniumum wage for farm workers, as well as carrying numerous bills for local interests. He also joined liberal Democrats in efforts to change the leadership of the senate. Defeated in 1960, he became commissioner and then chairman of the Industrial Accident Commission in 1960 and 1962, respectively. Out of government from 1965 to 1980, he became a municipal court judge in El Cajon in 1980 and took part in the judicial reunification experiment there.
From the description of Oral history interview with John William Beard : oral history transcript / By Lawrence B. de Graaf, California State University, Fullerton for the State Government Oral History Program, California State Archives, 1987. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 214934420
