Thorwaldson, Horace

Horace Thorwaldson, born in Dupivog on the eastern coast of Iceland on February 4, 1869, was a self-made public official and rancher in Fresno County, California. The son of farmer Thorwald Thorwaldson and his wife Vilborg, he was raised amidst pioneer hardships after his widowed mother brought her ten children to Pembina County, North Dakota, in September 1880. Young Horace worked barefooted breaking prairie land at age twelve to fund his winter schooling before moving to Seattle, Washington, in 1886 to learn the saddler trade. After operating a saddle and harness business in Watsonville, California, he relocated to Fresno on December 29, 1898, running a similar successful shop until retiring from commercial life in January 10, 1910.

Following his commercial career, Horace purchased and improved a 340-acre stock ranch on Elkhorn Slough, west of Riverdale. On January 1, 1911, he entered public service as field deputy sheriff under Walter S. McSwain, and following McSwain passing, he was unanimously appointed sheriff of Fresno County, serving honorably until January 1, 1919. In his personal life, he married Cornelia E. Peckham in Watsonville on June 10, 1896, and became the father of two children, Wilma Abbie and Elis Oliver. An active fraternal member across numerous local organizations including the Masons, Elks, and Odd Fellows, he left a lasting historical legacy as an influential lawman and prosperous citizen of Fresno.