He was the senior partner in the successful A. W. Sandford & Co. produce business, and was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council from 1897 to 1902.
His eldest son, Sir James Wallace Sandford, was a prominent figure in South Australian public life.
[2] He worked for a produce firm 1871 to 1874,[3] then with a number of partners founded his own bacon curing business with a factory in Yarraville and stores in Melbourne, and was soon doing business in the Riverina district in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, later specialising in dairy products.
They established butter factories and creameries in various country towns, investing heavily in the most modern machinery and large refrigeration plant.
The transferred their head office to Adelaide around 1881,[1] leaving his brother John W. Sandford, who was a junior partner, in charge of the Melbourne operation.