Horace Bristol Pond (born 1882) was an American business executive, philanthropist, American Red Cross personnel, World War II prisoner, and an expatriate in Manila, Philippines.

Horace Bristol Pond
Born1882

Early life edit

He was born in 1882.

Career edit

Political edit

H. B. Pond arrived in the Philippines in 1902 to work as a government stenographer.

Commercial edit

He joined Appleby Nauman, rose through the ranks, and became President of Pacific Commercial Company, then the largest company in the Philippines.[1][2][3]

He was also a leader in the American community, a member of many socio-civic and cultural organizations, and a founding Director of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands.[4][5][6]

In 1934 he headed a committee of American and Filipino businessmen that attempted to convince the United States government to continue free trade with the Philippines.[7][8][2]

He was a member of the Board of Regents of the University of the Philippines.[9]

Red Cross edit

In 1918 he became the first civilian president of the American Red Cross Philippine Chapter[3] founded in 1917.[citation needed]

Cultural edit

He was President of the Metropolitan Theater Company which built the Manila Metropolitan Theater.[4][5]

He was also among the top patrons and financial supporters who kept the Manila Symphony Orchestra existing and performing.

Incarceration edit

Pond was incarcerated by the Japanese at Santo Tomas Internment Camp where he was a member of the internee government.[6][7][8]

Bibliography edit

  • Center for Internee Rights, Inc., ed, 2002, Civilian Prisoners of the Japanese in the Philippine Islands, Paducah, Kentucky: Turner.
  • Gleeck, Lewis Edward, Jr. (1912–2005), The Manila Americans (1901–1964), Manila: Carmelo & Bauermann, 1977.
  • ___, Over Seventy-five Years of Philippine-American History: The Army and Navy Club of Manila, Manila: Carmelo & Bauermann, 1976.
  • Stevens, Frederic Harper (1879-1982), 1946, Santo Tomas Internment Camp, New York: Stratford House.

References edit

  1. ^ Short but significant news bit on Pond in the American Chamber of Commerce Journal, October 1938, page 11, with photo of Pond.[1] Archived 2016-06-29 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Wheeler, Gerard (2 April 1996). "THE AMERICAN MINORITY IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE PREWAR COMMONWEALTH PERIOD" (PDF). Asian Studies: 366. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Comité International de la Croix Rouge - History" [International Committee of the Red Cross - History]. Aid Watch. Observatoire Action Humanitaire. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  4. ^ "History". I am MET. Archived from the original on 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2016-06-03.
  5. ^ "Keeping the memory of the Old Girl alive". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 31 July 2000. Retrieved 4 June 2016.
  6. ^ Photograph of Santo Tomas Internment Camp supervisors and monitors, including Horace Pond, sixth from left.
  7. ^ Reference to Horace B. Pond 's Prisoner of War Record.
  8. ^ See: reference to Horace B. Pond in Only A Matter of Days: The World War II Prison Camp Diary of Fay Cook Bailey.