William Ward (January 1, 1837 – February 27, 1895) was an American politician from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

who served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district is a district in the state of Pennsylvania. It includes all of Chester County, the city of Reading, and Reading's southeastern suburbs in Berks County. The district is represented by Democrat Chrissy Ho ...

from 1877 to 1883.

Life and career

William Ward was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. He attended

Girard College Girard College is an independent college preparatory five-day boarding school located on a 43-acre campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school was founded and permanently endowed from the shipping and banking fortune of Stephen Girard upon ...

in Philadelphia. He learned the art of printing in the office of the ''Delaware County Republican'' in

Chester, Pennsylvania Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census. Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...

. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in August 1859 and commenced practice in Chester. He was also engaged in the land business and banking. He served as a member of the

Chester City Council Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Local ...

and city solicitor.

Congress

Ward was elected as a Republican to the Forty-fifth, Forty-sixth, and Forty-seventh Congresses. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1882.

Later career and death

William Ward gravestone with better lighting

He resumed the practice of his profession and his former business pursuits in Chester where he died in 1895. Interment in the

Chester Rural Cemetery Chester Rural Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery founded in March 1863 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Some of the first burials were Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate, who died at the government hospital located at the nearby building ...

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, William 1837 births 1895 deaths Burials at Chester Rural Cemetery Pennsylvania city council members Pennsylvania lawyers Politicians from Philadelphia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers