Jesse Reed Bond

Jesse Reed Bond was born on August 29, 1891, in Mississippi.

Bond served in the United States military during World War I. During his service, he was severely affected by poison gas and spent 22 days recovering in a hospital in France.

The exposure permanently weakened his lungs and continued to affect his health throughout the remainder of his life.

In 1924, Bond, his wife Nora, and their three children moved from San Angelo to Morton, Texas.

Bond purchased two buildings on the north side of the Morton town square. One became an abstract office, with the Bond family living in the rear portion of the building.

The second building became a hardware store operated by Bond and Floyd Rowland. Bond later purchased six lots on the south side of the courthouse and two houses near the present-day Methodist church.

Bond was elected Cochran County judge in 1926. He entered office on January 1, 1927, and served one term through December 31, 1928.

Jesse Reed Bond died from pneumonia on January 21, 1932, in Morton, Texas, at the age of 40. He was buried at Morton Memorial Cemetery.

Bond was the first military veteran to die in Cochran County. American Legion Jesse R. Bond Post No. 374 in Morton was named in his honor.

Biography source: Adapted from Texas Sesquicentennial: Texas' Last Frontier, Cochran County, 1836–1986, Volume 1 . Copyright Cochran County Historical Commission. Written by Doris Bond McCulloch circa 1985 and adapted by Mary Helen McKnight in 2016.