Aaron Ward (July 5, 1790 – March 2, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. He served three separate stints in the U.S. House of Representatives during the early-to-mid-

19th Century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolis ...

Life

He was born in

Sing Sing Sing Sing Correctional Facility, formerly Ossining Correctional Facility, is a maximum-security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in the village of Ossining, New York. It is about north of ...

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

the son of Moses Ward. He completed preparatory studies in Mount Pleasant Academy, and then studied law. At the beginning of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

he was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 29th Regiment of Infantry, and in 1814 commissioned a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. Afterwards he continued to serve in the State Militia, and in 1830 he was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. After the war, he resumed his legal studies in

Oxford, New York Oxford is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Chenango County, New York, Chenango County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town contains a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village also named Oxford (villa ...

, was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Sing Sing. He was District Attorney of Westchester County from 1819 to 1822. On January 19, 1820, he married Mary L. Watson (1797–1853, daughter of

Elkanah Watson Elkanah Watson (January 22, 1758 – December 5, 1842) was a visionary traveler and writer, agriculturist and canal promoter, banker and businessman. He was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts and died at Port Kent, New York. He worked in Albany ...

). Ward was elected as an Adams man to the 19th and 20th; as a Jacksonian to the 22nd, 23rd and 24th; and as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

27th United States Congress The 27th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. between March 4, 1 ...

, holding office from March 4, 1825, to March 3, 1829; from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1837; and from March 4, 1841, to March 3, 1843. He was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1846. In

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city. * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River opens ...

, Ward ran on the

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ticket for

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, but was defeated by Joel T. Headley. Ward was the first President of Dale Cemetery in Ossining and a trustee of Mount Pleasant Academy. He died in

Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Georgetown is a historic neighborhood, and commercial and entertainment district located in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, the port of Georgetown predated the establish ...

, and was buried at Dale Cemetery. Ward's daughter Virginia Gadsby Ward was married to George Adlington Brandreth, and they were the parents of four daughters. Their grandchildren included photographer

Yvette Borup Andrews Yvette Borup Andrews (February 28, 1891 – April 12, 1959) was an American photographer associated with the American Museum of Natural History. With the museum's director, Roy Chapman Andrews, she traveled to Central Asia twice during 1916-18 f ...

.Lydia Pyne
"Yvette Borup Andrews: Photographing Central Asia"
''The Public Domain Review'' (January 10, 2018). Ward's daughter Josephine A. Ward (d. 1906) was the second wife of Senator

John Renshaw Thomson John Renshaw Thomson (September 25, 1800September 12, 1862) was an American merchant and politician from New Jersey. Life Thomson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Edward Thomson (1771-1853) and Ann Renshaw (1773-1842). His fath ...

(1800–1862), and in 1878 became the second wife of Maryland Governor

Thomas Swann Thomas Swann (February 3, 1809 – July 24, 1883) was an American lawyer and Politics of the United States, politician who also was President of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as it completed track to Wheeling, West Virginia, Wheeling and gaine ...

. Congressman

Elijah Ward Elijah Ward (September 16, 1816 – February 7, 1882) was a U.S. Congressman during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era. Early life Ward was born in Sing Sing (now Ossining), New York. He pursued classical studies at the Co ...

was his cousin.

Notes

References

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 59, 71ff, 384; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''Maj. Gen. Aaron Ward, of New York''
a political biography in ''The United States Magazine and Democratic Review'' (Vol. 28; January 1851, pages 70ff)
Death notice
of his daughter Josephine, in NYT on March 3, 1906 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Aaron 1790 births 1867 deaths New York (state) National Republicans Westchester County District Attorneys People from Ossining, New York National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)