Edward N. (Ned) Glad

Edward N. (“Ned”) Glad, a retired attorney and honorary Officer of the British Empire, died March 4 from natural causes.  He was 91.

Born on June 30, 1919 in Polk, Nebraska, Glad was a leading customs lawyer in the country, known for his litigation prowess in the U.S. Customs Court that led to significant international recognition.  Prior to his legal career, Ned served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy during WWII.  He was part of the officer class who commissioned the U.S.S. Iowa serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, notably delivering President Roosevelt to Tehran, and then supporting ground troops from Kwajalein and other missions until the end of the war.

Upon his discharge Glad received a law degree from the University of Michigan and began his career in New York City with the firm of Barnes, Richardson and Colburn.  He was also active in Republican politics as one of eleven men to form the “Youth for Eisenhower” campaign for president of the United States.  It was during that time that he met and married his wife of 57 years, Suzanne. 

In 1958, Ned moved his family to Los Angeles and began the west coast law practice of Glad & Tuttle (later Glad & Ferguson), a firm from which he retired in 1993.  Glad was a founding member and second President of the British American Chamber of Commerce for which Queen Elizabeth II of England awarded him an honorary Officer of the British Empire in 1977.  Glad resided in La Canada Flintridge for 30 years and then Pasadena for 20 years. 

Glad served in voluntary leadership positions in the Foreign Trade Association of Southern California, the Japan American Society, the Spain American Chamber of Commerce, the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.  He was also Chairman of the California World Trade Commission.