Ward Chipman (July 10, 1787 – November 26, 1851) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in the pre-

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

Province of New Brunswick, Canada. He was born in

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

in 1787, the son of Ward Chipman and Elizabeth Hazen Chipman. He studied in

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

, and then at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. He studied law in his father's office and became an attorney in 1808. In 1810, he went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and continued his studies in law with

George Sowley Holroyd Sir George Sowley Holroyd (31 October 1758 – 21 November 1831) was an English lawyer and justice of the King's Bench. Life He was eldest son of George Holroyd, by Eleanor, daughter of Henry Sowley of Appleby, Westmorland, was born at York on ...

, being admitted to the bar in

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in 1812. On his return, he resumed practice and, in 1815, was named recorder for the city of Saint John. He later became a director of the Bank of New Brunswick. He assisted his father during negotiations held in 1816 with the state of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

to determine the ownership of certain islands in

Passamaquoddy Bay Passamaquoddy Bay () is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy, between the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick, at the mouth of the St. Croix River. Most of the bay lies within Canada, with its western shore bounded by Was ...

. In 1820, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick The Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick () is the deliberative assembly of the New Brunswick Legislature, in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. The assembly's seat is located in Fredericton. It was established in Saint John ''de jure'' ...

for

Saint John County Saint John County (2021 population: 76,558) is located in southern New Brunswick, Canada. The city of Saint John dominates the county. Elsewhere in the county, tourism is focused around the Bay of Fundy. Census subdivisions Communities Th ...

. In 1824, he was elected Speaker for the assembly. In 1825, after his father's death, he was named to the New Brunswick Supreme Court. In 1834, he was named chief justice for New Brunswick, which also made him president of the Legislative Council. He resigned from the council in 1842 and from his position as judge in 1850 due to illness. He died in Saint John in 1851.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chipman, Ward 1787 births 1851 deaths Harvard College alumni Lawyers in New Brunswick 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick Colony of New Brunswick judges Colony of New Brunswick people