Marcus Lawrence Ward (November 9, 1812 – April 25, 1884) was an American
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
politician, who served as the 21st
governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...
from 1866 to 1869 and represented
Essex County for one term from 1873 to 1875.
Early life
Marcus Lawrence Ward was born in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
on November 9, 1812 to Moses and Fanny (née Brown) Ward. His father Moses was a prosperous candle manufacturer and a descendant of John Ward, one of the founders of the city of Newark in 1666.
He attended Newark's public schools and then joined his family's soap and candle making business. The business was operated by Ward's father and uncle, and Ward eventually became a partner. He was also active in other businesses, including serving as a director of the National State Bank and secretary of the Lawrence Cement and Manufacturing Company.
By the 1840s, Ward's business success enabled him to concentrate much of his time and effort on civic causes and philanthropy. He was chairman of the executive committee of the
New Jersey Historical Society
The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition spac ...
, director of the National State Bank, and a founder of both the Newark Library Association and the New Jersey Art Union.
Civil War
By 1856, Ward became interested in the growing movement for the
abolition of slavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
, which led him to become involved in the new national
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
.
In 1858, he traveled west to
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
,
a figurative and literal battleground between pro- and anti-slavery forces, to support the free-state cause. He soon returned to Newark, joined the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
* Republican Party (Liberia)
*Republican Party ...
because of its anti-slavery stance, became involved in local Newark politics. He was a delegate to the
1860 Republican National Convention.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, Ward became identified prominently with the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
cause, primarily as a philanthropic advocate for those serving in uniform. Ward devised and managed one of the first systems in New Jersey for enabling soldiers to set aside monthly allotments of their pay for delivery to their families and gained the nickname "the soldiers' friend." He invested personal funds to create a wartime hospital for convalescing service members, and later helped establish a soldiers' home for wounded and disabled veterans. Ward soon created an office devoted to aiding veterans, which assisted them in procuring pensions, medical care, and other benefits.
Later in his career, Democratic critics and opponents would accuse Ward of making personal profit through his management of soldiers' pay, which Ward and Republicans denied.
Governor of New Jersey
1862 election
On the strength of his personal popularity and bipartisan support for his philanthropy, Ward was nominated on the
National Union Party ticket for Governor in 1862, but he lost to Democrat
Joel Parker. Soldiers serving in the field were unable to vote in the election, which may have cost Ward votes. Opposition to emancipation in the state may have also boosted Parker's support.
During the
1864 presidential election, Ward was chairman and treasurer of the
National Union Party in New Jersey.
1865 election
In the post-war environment, the atmosphere was ripe for a Republican victory. Ward stood for the Republican nomination as the representative of Newark, East Jersey, and veterans. He was opposed by
Alexander G. Cattell
Alexander Gilmore Cattell (February 12, 1816April 8, 1894) was a United States senator from New Jersey.
Biography
Early life
Born in Salem, New Jersey, Cattell received an academic education, and engaged in mercantile pursuits in Salem until ...
, a wealth
grain merchant
The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...
who had only recently returned to the state. After a deadlock between the two candidates and a failed movement to draft General
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of brevet major general. He was later the United States Minister to Chile and an unsuccessful cand ...
, veterans delivered the nomination to Ward on the fourth ballot.
George M. Robeson
George Maxwell Robeson (March 16, 1829 – September 27, 1897) was an American politician and lawyer from New Jersey. A brigadier general in the New Jersey Militia during the American Civil War, he served as Secretary of the Navy, appointed by Pr ...
, the leader of the Cattell campaign, made the nomination unanimous. In the general election, Ward defeated
Theodore Runyon by a large margin bolstered by the veterans' vote.
Term in office
Ward served as Governor from 1866 to 1869. His administration was marked by active support for and involvement in the federal
Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
process, a marked contrast from his predecessor
Joel Parker. Though the
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representative ...
had been ratified without New Jersey's vote, Ward made it a priority to symbolically ratify the amendment and "redeem" the state. He also led the state in ratifying the
Fourteenth Amendment.
On purely state affairs, Ward was convinced that active, energetic government could produce wise social and economic policies. His administration focused on reforming the state prison, establishing a state reform school, funding public education and instituting a statewide uniform health code. He also called for state action in
riparian water rights
Riparian water rights (or simply riparian rights) is a system for allocating water among those who possess land along its path. It has its origins in English common law. Riparian water rights exist in many jurisdictions with a common law herit ...
, asking that owners of underwater land compensate the state for the right to build improvements.
Ward's governorship was marked by division within the Republican Party, leading to the downfall of the party in the state. In an effort to stave off criticism from Cattell, he appointed George Robeson Attorney General and attempted to steer a middle course, but was criticized for favoring Newark Republicans, such as in his appointment of
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817May 20, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey who served as a U.S. Senator and later as United States Secretary of State under President Chester A. Arthur.
Early life and ...
to the U.S. Senate. In his early days in office, Ward confidently said predicted Republican was now "firmly fixed among the Republican states," but the state would not elect another Republican governor until 1895.
While in office, Ward also served as chairman of the
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...
from 1866 to 1868. In 1868, Ward became the first president of the Newark Industrial Exhibition.
Later career
After leaving the governor's office, Ward resumed his business and civic interests. In 1872, he was a successful candidate for Congress representing
Essex County (numbered the
6th district). He served one term, 1873 to 1875, but was defeated for reelection in 1874 by Democrat
Frederick H. Teese.
After leaving Congress in 1875, Ward devoted the rest of his life to his family and personal affairs.
Personal life
In 1840, Ward married Susan Longworth Morris, a relative of
Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth III (November 5, 1869 – April 9, 1931) was an American politician who became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Republican. A lawyer by training, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he ini ...
. The Wards had eight children, though only two lived to adulthood:
* Joseph Morris (1841-1911)
* Elizabeth Morris (1843-1848)
* Frances Lavinia (1844-1846)
* Marcus L. Ward Jr. (1847-1920)
* Catharine Almira Morris (1849-1860)
* Nicholas Longworth (1852-1857)
* John Longworth Morris (1854-1855)
* Frances Brown (1856-1864)
Death and legacy
Ward contracted malaria while on a trip to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in early 1884. He returned home, but did not recover. Ward died in Newark on April 25, 1884, and was buried at
Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Legacy
After Ward's death, his son Marcus used part of the family fortune to found the
Ward Homestead, a home for elderly bachelors and widowers. The site is now part of a larger retirement complex known as Winchester Gardens.
In 1941, the Schoolmen's Club of Newark and the Newark Museum dedicated a memorial plaque to Ward in the Alice Ransom Dreyfuss Memorial Garden behind the Newark Museum. The museum was built on the site of Ward's former home.
References
Sources
Books
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*
Internet
*
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Newspapers
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External links
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Marcus Lawrence Wardat
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
Marcus Lawrence Wardat the Political Graveyard
at Dead Governors of New Jersey
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Marcus Lawrence
1812 births
1884 deaths
19th-century American politicians
American Protestants
Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey)
Republican Party governors of New Jersey
Politicians from Newark, New Jersey
Republican National Committee chairs
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey