Governors 
Lieuentant Governors 
Welcome to the "Famous Wards" History section devoted to Ward kin who have served as governors and lieutenant governors of the colonies, states and provinces.
This site is sponsored by the Ward Family Club, a national family club devoted to gathering and preserving the family history of ALL Ward descendants. If you are a Ward or descendant of a Ward, this includes you.
If you came directly to this site, be sure and visit the Ward Family Club's HOME page, where you can jump to the main Ward Family HISTORY page, the Ward Family QUERIES section, the online Ward Family NEWSLETTER, the Ward family MEMORIALS section and our other sites. Click on "HOME" at the bottom of the page to get started.
Ward kin who have been elected or appointed as governors of the Colonies, states and provinces.
A
ndrew Ward, Sr. was born in England about 1597, a son of Richard Ward and Anne Guiville. He came to the colonies. On 3 Mar 1636, Andrew was appointed with Roger Ludlow & six others by Massachusetts to govern the Colony of Connecticut for one year. He was therefore one of the assistants or judges of the first legislative body held in Connecticut. He was named to the Connecticut Colonial Legislature in Nov 1837 and again in several other years. He was appointed Constable of Stamford in 1640 and Judge of Stamford in 1642.Andrew married Esther Sherman and they had at least 12 children.
John Elliott Ward was born 2 Oct 1814 in Sudbury, Liberty County, Georgia, a son of William Ward and Sarah Anne McIntosh. He entered Amherst College, Amherst, Ma. in 1831 but left because of animosity toward Georgians because two missionaries to the Cherokee Indians had been arrested. He studied law in Savannah and was admitted to the bar in 1835. He then attended lectures at Harvard University law school before setting up practice in Savannah. He was appointed Solicitor General (district attorney) of the Eastern District of Georgia in Jan 1836 to fill a vacancy. The General Assembly later elected him to a full term.
John was appointed United Stated District Attorney for Georgia in 1838. He resigned in 1839 when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives. He was elected Mayor of Savannah in 1854. He was a delegate to the Democratic Party National Convention at Cincinnati in 1857 and was chosen to preside over the gathering.
In 1857, John was elected to the Georgia State Senate and elected president of the body. He was also elected Acting Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. He resigned in 1858 when he was appointed by President James Buchanan to be United States Minister (ambassador) to China. He departed for his post in Jan 1859 and remained in China until Apr 1861, when he returned and resigned as a result of the secession of Georgia from the union.
After the war, John moved from Savannah to New York City where he practiced law.
Marcus Lawrence Ward was born 9 Nov 1812 in Newark, New Jersey. He became a merchant. In politics, he was originally a Whig Party follower but he later helped organize the Republican Party in New Jersey. He was a delegate to the Republican Party National Convention at Chicago in 1860 and in Baltimore in 1864. During the War for Southern Independence, he frequently visited camps of union troops.
He devised a free pension bureau for soldiers which he maintained at his own expense. He equipped a hospital in New Jersey for wounded soldiers. After the war, the federal government named it the "United States Ward Hospital" in his honor.
In 1862, Marcus lost was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of New Jersey. He won this post in the next election and served as Governer 1865-1868. In 1866, he was chosen Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He worked to improve the condition of the state prison.
Marcus was elected as a Republican to the House of Representative of the US Congress and served 1 Dec 1873-3 Mar 1875. In 1875, he declined an appointment as US Indian Commissioner. He was an early member of the New Jersey Historical Society and the Newark Library Association. He was an active philanthropist.
Marcus married Susan Morris and they had 8 children. He died 25 Apr 1884 at Newark and is buried there in the Old Burying Ground.
Richard Ward was born 15 Apr 1689 at Newport, Rhode Island, a son of Thomas Ward and Amy Billings. His father Thomas, from Gloucester, England, served as an officer in one of Cromwell's cavalry regiments during the English Parliamentary Wars. Richard, like his father, also became a merchant.
Richard was named Attorney General of Rhode Island and served 1712-1713. He was a Deputy and Clark of the Rhode Island Colonial Assembly in 1714 and recorder from 1714-1730.
He served as Deputy Governor from May to July 1740, when Governor Wanton died. Richard then served as Governor for three terms from 15 Jul 1740 to May 1743.
Richard was married to Mary Tillinghast. Their son Samuel was also a statesman who served as Governor of Rhode Island.
S
amuel Ward Sr. was born 25 May 1725 in Newport, Rhode Island, a son of Richard Ward and Mary Tillinghast of Rhode Island, was a member of the Continental Congress. He died in Philadelphia before he had the opportunity to sign the Declaration of Independence. His son Samuel Jr. was an officer in the Revolutionary War and the family is associated with the family of General Nathaniel Greene.Samuel became one of the most prominent citizens of Rhode Island and held about every major office in the colony. He graduated from Harvard College in 1733.
He was elected in 1756 to represent the town of Westerly in the Rhode Island Colonial Assembly. He remained in the Assembly until 1759.
During the French and Indian War, he represented Rhode Island at a Convention held in Hartford to consult with Lord Loudoun, commander of the British forces on the best course for the Colonies to pursue in the war. The report of the Commissioners of Rhode Island was approved by the convention.
He was elected Governor of the Colony in May 1762. He was reelected Governor in 1765. When the British Parliament passed their infamous Stamp Act, he immediately made his opposition known. He was the only one of the 13 Colonial Governors who refused to take an oath to sustain and enforce the law. He was elected a third time as governor in 1766.
Samuel was active in founding Rhode Island College, which was later renamed Brown University. He became a Trustee of the college from 1764 to 1776.
The Stamp Act and other steps taken by the British were the direct forerunners of the American Revolution. American Colonists became enraged over the fact they were allowed no part in Parliament in passing any of these acts. A Colonial Congress met at New York and included Henry Ward, a younger brother of Samuel Sr. to debate what steps to take.
In 1773, Samuel, who was no longer governer, wrote a letter to the citizens of Westerly proposing and advocating a united front in opposition to all attempts by the British to bring taxed tea into Newport. In 1774, he was chosen chairman of a town committee and he introduced a series of resolutions which opposed any acts which threatened the rights of the people of the colonies.
He was appointed a delegate from Rhode Island to the Continental Congress which met at Philadelphia on 5 Sep 1774. He was always called to the Chair when Congress went into a Committee of the Whole. He was Chairman of the Committee that selected Colonel George Washington to take command of the Colonial Army.
During his tenure at the Congress, Samuel contracted smallpox and suffered greatly until his death. He was buried in the cemetery of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia, where a monument was erected in his meory by order of the Rhode Island General Assembly. In 1860, his remains were removed to the cemetery of Newport, RI and re-interred there. His untimely death shocked the delegates to the Congress. They passed a resolution honoring him and all the delegates attended his funeral.
Samuel Sr. married Anne Ray, daughter of Simon Ray III, a farmer from Block Island and Deborah Greene. He then settled down on a farm at Westerly. They had 11 children.
William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, served as Governor General of Australia 1908 - 1911. His home was in London, England.
to Ward Family Club main HISTORY page
to Ward Family Club HOME page