Background
Born in Mayfield, New York, he was the son of Mary (née Slack) and her husband John Sanford (1803–1857).
Born in Mayfield, New York, he was the son of Mary (née Slack) and her husband John Sanford (1803–1857).
He attended the common schools and local academy at Amsterdam, New York, Georgetown College, Washington, District of Columbia, for two years, and the United States Military Academy at West Point, New New York
He joined his father"s carpet manufacturing business in 1844 but in 1854, the mill burned to the ground. His father retired but Stephen Sanford rebuilt the business to the point where it was employing twenty-five hundred workers. In 1849, Stephen Sanford married Sarah Jane Cochrane (1830–1901) and had five children.
Eldest child John Sanford II (1851–1939) would take over the family business.
Sanford was elected as Republican to the Forty-first Congress (March 4, 1869 - March 4, 1871). He declined to be a candidate for renomination.
In 1876, he served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention. He died in Amsterdam, New York in 1913 and was interred in the family plot in the Green Hill Cemetery.
Stephen Sanford operated Hurricana Farms in Amsterdam where he bred and trained thoroughbred racehorses.
In 1880 his horses began racing at nearby Saratoga Race Course.
He named many his top American horses after members of the Mohawk nation.