Hamilton Ward Jr. (January 20, 1871—October 8, 1932) was an American lawyer and politician.

Biography

Hamilton Ward Jr. was born in

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

on January 20, 1871, while his father

Hamilton Ward Sr. Hamilton Ward Sr. (July 3, 1829– December 28, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a judge on the Supreme Court of New York, the attorney general of New York, and a Republican member of the United States House of Repr ...

was serving in Congress. The younger Ward was educated at Saint Paul's Hall in

Salem, New York Salem is a town in eastern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,702 at the 2000 census. The town of Salem contains a hamlet also named Salem, formerly ...

and the Vermont Episcopal Institute in

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. He studied law with his father and his father's partner, Elba Reynolds. Ward was admitted to the bar in 1892 and practiced in Philipsville, now

Belmont, New York Belmont is a village within the town of Amity in Allegany County, New York, United States. Belmont is the county seat of Allegany County. The population was 969 at the 2010 census. The name means "beautiful hill". The village is centrally locat ...

. He later relocated to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, where he was Erie County's collateral inheritance clerk and an assistant district attorney. He fought in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

as a captain. In 1907, he was Commander-in-Chief of the

United Spanish War Veterans The United Spanish War Veterans was an American veterans' organization which consisted of veterans of the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and China Relief Expedition. Origins Soon after the Spanish–American War ended, in early ...

. As a Republican, he was New York State Attorney General from 1929 to 1930, elected in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

. Ward was a prominent Buffalonian and an ardent conservationist who was instrumental in the establishment and design of Chesnut Ridge Park in the 1920s. A memorial to Ward exists in the southern part of the park. He also founded Allegany State Park, as well as the Erie County Parks Commission, which was vital in forming the first four county parks of Chesnut Ridge, Ellicott Creek, Como Lake, and Emery. Upon his death, he bequeathed several hundred acres of his property to the county that became part of Chesnut Ridge Park. He died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

, and was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in

. His brother was Episcopal Bishop John C. Ward.

Sources

Commanders-in-Chief of USWV, with photo
at ancestry.com

at www.oag.state.ny.us (Office of the NYSAG)

at politicalgraveyard.com
His father's obituary
''New York Times'', December 29, 1898 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward Jr, Hamilton New York State Attorneys General Politicians from Buffalo, New York 1871 births 1932 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in New York (state) Lawyers from Buffalo, New York New York (state) Republicans