Samuel Ward
Encyclopedia
Samuel Ward was a farmer, politician, colonial Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
, and a delegate to the Continental Congress
. The son of an earlier Rhode Island Governor, Richard Ward
, he was well educated as he grew up in a large Newport, Rhode Island
family. After marrying, he and his new wife received property in Westerly, Rhode Island from his father-in-law, and upon settling there he took up farming. Entering politics as a fairly young man, he soon took sides in the hard money/paper money controversy, favoring hard money, or specie. His primary rival over the money issue was Providence politician Stephen Hopkins
, and the two men became bitter rivals, alternating as governors of the colony for several terms.
During this time of political activity, Ward became a founder and trustee of Rhode Island's first college, Brown University
. The most contentious issue he faced during his three years as governor involved the Stamp Act
which had been passed by the British Parliament just before he took office for the second time. This act, putting a tax on all official documents and newspapers, infuriated the American colonists, being done without their consent. Representatives of the colonies met to discuss the unpopular act, but when it came time for the colonial governors to take a position in regards to the act, Ward was the only one who refused it, threatening his position, but bringing him recognition as a great patriot.
After last serving as governor in 1767, Ward retired to his farm in Westerly, but in 1774 he was called back into service as a delegate to the Continental Congress
. War was looming with the mother country, and to this end he devoted all of his energy. After hostilities began, Ward made his famous statement, ending with "Heaven save my country, is my first, my last, and almost my only prayer." During a meeting of the Congress in Philadelphia, slightly more than three months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
, he died of smallpox
, and was buried in a local cemetery. His remains were later re-interred in the Common Burying Ground in Newport.
in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
in 1725, Ward was the son of an earlier Rhode Island colonial governor, Richard Ward
. Samuel Ward's mother, Mary Tillinghast, was a daughter of John Tillinghast and Isabel Sayles, and a granddaughter of Pardon Tillinghast
who had come from Seven Cliffs, Sussex
, England. She was also a granddaughter of John Sayles and Mary Williams, and a great granddaughter of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams
, making Ward the great great grandson of the colony's founder. Ward's great grandfather, John Ward, came from Gloucester
, England, and had been an officer in Cromwell's
Army, but came to the American colonies following the accession of King Charles II
to the English throne.
Ward, the ninth of 14 children, grew up in a home of liberal tastes and cultivated manners, and was entreated to the discipline and instruction of a celebrated grammar school in his home town. He may also have been tutored by his older brother, Thomas, who had graduated from Harvard College
in 1733. As a young man Ward married Anne Ray, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer on Block Island
, from whom the couple received land in Westerly, and settled there as farmers. He devoted much effort to improving the breeds of domestic animals, and he raised a breed of racehorse known as the Narraganset pacer.
Ward first became active in politics in 1756 when he was elected as a Deputy from Westerly, a position he held for three years. The divisive political issue of the day was the use of hard money, or specie, versus the use of paper money, and Ward sided with the former group, while his chief rival, Stephen Hopkins
of Providence sided with the latter. So bitter was the animosity between these two men that Hopkins commenced an action for slander against Ward, putting damages at 40,000 pounds. The case was moved to Massachusetts for a fair trial, and in 1759 the judgment went against Hopkins by default, and he paid the costs.
For ten years the two men, each at the head of a powerful party, went back and forth as Governor of the colony, until in 1768 Josias Lyndon
was elected as a compromise candidate. In 1758 Hopkins won the election as Governor, and beat Ward again in the following three elections. In 1761 the Assembly named Ward to the office of Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
, but he only served in this capacity for a year, finally being elected Governor in 1762. During this first year in office, the plan of founding a college in the Rhode Island colony was discussed, and received Ward's hearty support. He took an active part in the establishment of "Rhode island College," later Brown University
, and when the school was incorporated in 1765, he was one of the trustees, and one of its most generous supporters.
While the French and Indian War
had ended in North America in 1760, other aspects of this global war, known in Europe as the Seven Years' War
, continued to involve Rhode Island. In the spring of 1762, General Jeffrey Amherst, the commander of British and Colonial forces in North America, ordered that 207 men from Rhode Island be sent as part of an expedition against Cuba
. In the early summer, Havana
was put under siege, the castle of Moro was taken, and the city surrendered in August. It was a very costly victory, as only 112 of the Rhode Island men survived the operation, many succumbing to disease. The Peace of Paris
concluded the war, with France losing all of its territory in North America (other than two small islands near Newfoundland), and Spain ceding Florida
to Britain in exchange for having Havana returned. Following these events, General Amherst was recalled to England and replaced by General Thomas Gage
, who would later play a prominent role in events leading to the American Revolutionary War
.
was passed by both houses of Parliament
in England. This act was a scheme for taxing the colonies, directing that all commercial and legal documents, to be valid in a court of law, must be written on stamped paper sold at fixed prices by governmental officers, and also directing that a duty be applied to newspapers. Parliament, assuming the right to tax the colonies, put additional duties on sugar, coffee and other articles, and required that lumber and iron from the colonies only be exported to England.
The news of the act infuriated the colonists, and Samuel Adams
of Massachusetts invited all the colonies to a congress of delegates to meet in New York to discuss relief from the unjust taxes. In August 1765 the Rhode Island General Assembly passed resolutions following the lead of Patrick Henry
of Virginia
. Rhode Island's appointed stamp distributor, Attorney General Augustus Johnson, refused to execute his office "against the will of our Sovereign Lord the People." The Rhode Island General Assembly met again at East Greenwich in September 1765, choosing delegates to the New York congress, and appointing a committee to consider the Stamp Act. The committee reported six resolutions that pointed to the absolution of allegiance to the British Crown unless the grievances were removed.
The day before the act was to become effective, all of the royal governors took an oath to sustain it, including Thomas Fitch of Connecticut
who had strenuously opposed it. Among the colonial governors only Samuel Ward of Rhode Island refused the act. In so doing, he forteited his position, and was threatened with a huge fine, but this did not deter him. Ultimately, the act was repealed, with news reaching the colonies in May 1766 to public rejoicing. The conflict for independence was delayed, but not abandoned.
of Providence formally proposed a Continental Congress
for the union of the colonies, the first such act in favor of this measure, though the idea had already been circulating in several of the colonies. As plans solidified, the General Assembly met the following month in Newport and elected Samuel Ward and Stephen Hopkins as delegates to the congress.
Ward served on several important committees, including the Committee on Secrets and frequently sat in the chair when the Congress met as a committee of the whole. He devoted all of his energy to the Continental Congress until his untimely death from smallpox
at a meeting of the convention in Philadelphia a little more than three months before the Declaration of Independence
was signed. He was originally buried in Philadelphia, but in 1860 was reinterred in the Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island.
served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army
. A great-granddaughter was Julia Ward Howe
who composed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Ward's aunt, Mary Ward, married Sion Arnold, a grandson of Governor Benedict Arnold
.
In 1937, the Town of Westerly, Rhode Island, honored Governor Ward's memory by dedicating its new high school for him. The road that formerly fronted the main building of the current high school campus was also named for his family, Ward Avenue. The large Georgian-style building has served the town's students faithfully since 1939 and is currently part of a larger high school campus formed in 2005. The school is made up of two buildings, the Ward Building and Babcock Hall (the former junior high school, built at the same time.) In the late 20th Century, following the path of other school districts, Ward High School was officially renamed Westerly High School, keeping its letters, WHS. But, in keeping with the spirit of the original dedication, the high school's main auditorium was given the former governor's name and a large brass plaque now greets visitors at the space's public entry.
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
, and a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
. The son of an earlier Rhode Island Governor, Richard Ward
Richard Ward (governor)
Richard Ward was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for one complete term from 1741 to 1742. He was the son of Thomas Ward and Amey Billings of Newport, and grandson of John Ward who had come from Gloucester, England...
, he was well educated as he grew up in a large Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
family. After marrying, he and his new wife received property in Westerly, Rhode Island from his father-in-law, and upon settling there he took up farming. Entering politics as a fairly young man, he soon took sides in the hard money/paper money controversy, favoring hard money, or specie. His primary rival over the money issue was Providence politician Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (politician)
Stephen Hopkins was an American political leader from Rhode Island who signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as the Chief Justice and Governor of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and was a Delegate to the Colonial Congress in Albany in 1754 and to the...
, and the two men became bitter rivals, alternating as governors of the colony for several terms.
During this time of political activity, Ward became a founder and trustee of Rhode Island's first college, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
. The most contentious issue he faced during his three years as governor involved the Stamp Act
Stamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
which had been passed by the British Parliament just before he took office for the second time. This act, putting a tax on all official documents and newspapers, infuriated the American colonists, being done without their consent. Representatives of the colonies met to discuss the unpopular act, but when it came time for the colonial governors to take a position in regards to the act, Ward was the only one who refused it, threatening his position, but bringing him recognition as a great patriot.
After last serving as governor in 1767, Ward retired to his farm in Westerly, but in 1774 he was called back into service as a delegate to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
. War was looming with the mother country, and to this end he devoted all of his energy. After hostilities began, Ward made his famous statement, ending with "Heaven save my country, is my first, my last, and almost my only prayer." During a meeting of the Congress in Philadelphia, slightly more than three months before the signing of the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, he died of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
, and was buried in a local cemetery. His remains were later re-interred in the Common Burying Ground in Newport.
Ancestry and early life
Born in NewportNewport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
in 1725, Ward was the son of an earlier Rhode Island colonial governor, Richard Ward
Richard Ward (governor)
Richard Ward was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for one complete term from 1741 to 1742. He was the son of Thomas Ward and Amey Billings of Newport, and grandson of John Ward who had come from Gloucester, England...
. Samuel Ward's mother, Mary Tillinghast, was a daughter of John Tillinghast and Isabel Sayles, and a granddaughter of Pardon Tillinghast
Pardon Tillinghast
Pardon Tillinghast was an early pastor of the First Baptist Church in America and a public official in Providence, Rhode Island.-Biography:...
who had come from Seven Cliffs, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England. She was also a granddaughter of John Sayles and Mary Williams, and a great granddaughter of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
, making Ward the great great grandson of the colony's founder. Ward's great grandfather, John Ward, came from Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, England, and had been an officer in Cromwell's
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
Army, but came to the American colonies following the accession of King Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to the English throne.
Ward, the ninth of 14 children, grew up in a home of liberal tastes and cultivated manners, and was entreated to the discipline and instruction of a celebrated grammar school in his home town. He may also have been tutored by his older brother, Thomas, who had graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1733. As a young man Ward married Anne Ray, the daughter of a well-to-do farmer on Block Island
Block Island
Block Island is part of the U.S. state of Rhode Island and is located in the Atlantic Ocean approximately south of the coast of Rhode Island, east of Montauk Point on Long Island, and is separated from the Rhode Island mainland by Block Island Sound. The United States Census Bureau defines Block...
, from whom the couple received land in Westerly, and settled there as farmers. He devoted much effort to improving the breeds of domestic animals, and he raised a breed of racehorse known as the Narraganset pacer.
Political life
Stephen Hopkins (politician)
Stephen Hopkins was an American political leader from Rhode Island who signed the Declaration of Independence. He served as the Chief Justice and Governor of the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and was a Delegate to the Colonial Congress in Albany in 1754 and to the...
of Providence sided with the latter. So bitter was the animosity between these two men that Hopkins commenced an action for slander against Ward, putting damages at 40,000 pounds. The case was moved to Massachusetts for a fair trial, and in 1759 the judgment went against Hopkins by default, and he paid the costs.
For ten years the two men, each at the head of a powerful party, went back and forth as Governor of the colony, until in 1768 Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon
Josias Lyndon was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a single one-year term. He was the son of Samuel and Priscilla Lyndon of Newport, the grandson of Josias Lyndon of Newport, and the great grandson of Augustin Lyndon, a shipwright in Boston in the...
was elected as a compromise candidate. In 1758 Hopkins won the election as Governor, and beat Ward again in the following three elections. In 1761 the Assembly named Ward to the office of Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court
Rhode Island Supreme Court
The Rhode Island Supreme Court, founded in 1747, is the court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. The Court consists of a chief justice and four associate justices. The current Justices of the Rhode Island Supreme Court are:*Chief Justice Paul A...
, but he only served in this capacity for a year, finally being elected Governor in 1762. During this first year in office, the plan of founding a college in the Rhode Island colony was discussed, and received Ward's hearty support. He took an active part in the establishment of "Rhode island College," later Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, and when the school was incorporated in 1765, he was one of the trustees, and one of its most generous supporters.
While the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
had ended in North America in 1760, other aspects of this global war, known in Europe as the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
, continued to involve Rhode Island. In the spring of 1762, General Jeffrey Amherst, the commander of British and Colonial forces in North America, ordered that 207 men from Rhode Island be sent as part of an expedition against Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. In the early summer, Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
was put under siege, the castle of Moro was taken, and the city surrendered in August. It was a very costly victory, as only 112 of the Rhode Island men survived the operation, many succumbing to disease. The Peace of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1763)
The Treaty of Paris, often called the Peace of Paris, or the Treaty of 1763, was signed on 10 February 1763, by the kingdoms of Great Britain, France and Spain, with Portugal in agreement. It ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War...
concluded the war, with France losing all of its territory in North America (other than two small islands near Newfoundland), and Spain ceding Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
to Britain in exchange for having Havana returned. Following these events, General Amherst was recalled to England and replaced by General Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage
Thomas Gage was a British general, best known for his many years of service in North America, including his role as military commander in the early days of the American War of Independence....
, who would later play a prominent role in events leading to the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Stamp Act
In 1763 Hopkins once again beat out Ward in the election for Governor, serving for the next two years, but in 1765 Ward, for the second time, won the contest between the two men. During this term one of the most contentious issues of the age arose, uniting the divided elements into a common cause. Two months before Ward's election the Stamp ActStamp Act 1765
The Stamp Act 1765 was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliament specifically on the colonies of British America. The act required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp...
was passed by both houses of Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
in England. This act was a scheme for taxing the colonies, directing that all commercial and legal documents, to be valid in a court of law, must be written on stamped paper sold at fixed prices by governmental officers, and also directing that a duty be applied to newspapers. Parliament, assuming the right to tax the colonies, put additional duties on sugar, coffee and other articles, and required that lumber and iron from the colonies only be exported to England.
The news of the act infuriated the colonists, and Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As a politician in colonial Massachusetts, Adams was a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and was one of the architects of the principles of American...
of Massachusetts invited all the colonies to a congress of delegates to meet in New York to discuss relief from the unjust taxes. In August 1765 the Rhode Island General Assembly passed resolutions following the lead of Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Rhode Island's appointed stamp distributor, Attorney General Augustus Johnson, refused to execute his office "against the will of our Sovereign Lord the People." The Rhode Island General Assembly met again at East Greenwich in September 1765, choosing delegates to the New York congress, and appointing a committee to consider the Stamp Act. The committee reported six resolutions that pointed to the absolution of allegiance to the British Crown unless the grievances were removed.
The day before the act was to become effective, all of the royal governors took an oath to sustain it, including Thomas Fitch of Connecticut
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
who had strenuously opposed it. Among the colonial governors only Samuel Ward of Rhode Island refused the act. In so doing, he forteited his position, and was threatened with a huge fine, but this did not deter him. Ultimately, the act was repealed, with news reaching the colonies in May 1766 to public rejoicing. The conflict for independence was delayed, but not abandoned.
Continental Congress
In the 1767 election Ward once again lost to his nemesis, but Hopkins would not seek re-election after 1768, and friendly relations between the two great rivals was established. The famous controversy was replaced by a more momentous struggle soon to involve the colony. Governor Ward retired to his estate in Westerly, but became active again in 1774. At a town meeting in May of that year the freemenFreeman (Colonial)
Freeman is a term which originated in 12th century Europe and is common as an English or American Colonial expression in Puritan times. In the Bay Colony, a man had to be a member of the Church to be a freeman. In Colonial Plymouth, a man did not need to be a member of the Church, but he had to be...
of Providence formally proposed a Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
for the union of the colonies, the first such act in favor of this measure, though the idea had already been circulating in several of the colonies. As plans solidified, the General Assembly met the following month in Newport and elected Samuel Ward and Stephen Hopkins as delegates to the congress.
Ward served on several important committees, including the Committee on Secrets and frequently sat in the chair when the Congress met as a committee of the whole. He devoted all of his energy to the Continental Congress until his untimely death from smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
at a meeting of the convention in Philadelphia a little more than three months before the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
was signed. He was originally buried in Philadelphia, but in 1860 was reinterred in the Common Burying Ground in Newport, Rhode Island.
Family and legacy
Samuel and Anna Ward had eleven children. Their second son Samuel Ward, Jr.Samuel Ward, Jr.
Samuel Ward, Jr. was an American Revolutionary War soldier and delegate to the secessionist Hartford Convention.-Biography:Ward was born in Westerly, Rhode Island on November 17, 1756 as the fifth child of founding trustee of Brown University, Continental Congress delegate and colonial governor of...
served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
. A great-granddaughter was Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
who composed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Ward's aunt, Mary Ward, married Sion Arnold, a grandson of Governor Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold (governor)
Benedict Arnold was president and then governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving for a total of 11 years in these roles. Coming from Somerset, England, he was born and raised in the town of Ilchester, likely attending school in Limington, nearby...
.
In 1937, the Town of Westerly, Rhode Island, honored Governor Ward's memory by dedicating its new high school for him. The road that formerly fronted the main building of the current high school campus was also named for his family, Ward Avenue. The large Georgian-style building has served the town's students faithfully since 1939 and is currently part of a larger high school campus formed in 2005. The school is made up of two buildings, the Ward Building and Babcock Hall (the former junior high school, built at the same time.) In the late 20th Century, following the path of other school districts, Ward High School was officially renamed Westerly High School, keeping its letters, WHS. But, in keeping with the spirit of the original dedication, the high school's main auditorium was given the former governor's name and a large brass plaque now greets visitors at the space's public entry.
See also
- Stamp Act CongressStamp Act CongressThe Stamp Act Congress was a meeting on October 19, 1765 in New York City of representatives from some of the British colonies of North America. They discussed and acted upon the Stamp Act recently passed by the governing Parliament of Great Britain overseas, which did not include any...
- List of delegates to the Continental Congress
- List of colonial governors of Rhode Island
- List of lieutenant governors of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
External links
- Biographic sketch at U.S. Congress website
- The Library of Congress American Memory Collection, Letters of the Delegates to Congress - Volumes 1-3 contain his letters to his children and the diaries he kept of events at the Congress; these tell Ward's story poignantly.
- Brown University Charter
- Chronological list of Rhode Island leaders
- Find-a-grave for Samuel Ward