Reford Bond was born in Johnsonville, Indian Territory, Aug. 10, 1877, to famous cattleman James Bond and Adelaide (Johnson) Bond. He attended Kemper Military College in Boonville, Missouri; Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia; and Columbian (now George Washington) University in Washington, D.C. He married Jeanette Quigley Ware Nov. 5, 1902. They had one son, Reford Bond Jr.

Bond became a lawyer in 1899 and was a principal member of the law firm, Bond & Melton, which was established in 1900 prior to Oklahoma statehood. He practiced in Indian Territory, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C. In 1913, Bond was appointed by the Chickasaw Nation as the National Attorney, representing the tribe for eight years during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.

In the 1920s, Bond served in numerous government and organizational positions. He was a member of the Commission of Review and Revision of the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma, President of the Oklahoma State Election Board and appointed as Special Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma. He was also appointed as Chairman of the Coordinating Board for organizing and unifying higher education in Oklahoma, delegate of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1932 and trustee of the William H. Murray Educational Foundation.

Bond became chairman of the Corporation Commission of the State of Oklahoma in 1934, reelected in 1936, 1942 and 1948, and held this title until his death in 1954. He was also a member of the National Conference of Petroleum Regulatory Authorities and the Oklahoma representative on the Interstate Oil Compact Commission. His leadership helped guide and protect Oklahoma’s oil industry.

Reford Bond had a career of leadership and service to the Chickasaw Nation and the State of Oklahoma during an important time in the history of both.