James Madison Hanford (1827–1911) was an American railroad executive. The city of Hanford, California is named after him.

Hanford was a native of New York. His parents were Stephen and Maria Hanford.^[1] He worked as paymaster for the Southern Pacific Railroad. The pay cars “started from San Francisco and were stocked with enough money to pay all the employees along the way”.^[2]

Hanford retired in 1908 after 39 years with the railroad and died at his home in Oakland, California in 1911.