Marcus Ward | |
|---|---|
_circa_1860.jpg) Ward c. 1859 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Teese |
| Chair of theRepublican National Committee | |
| In office September 3, 1866 – May 21, 1868 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Raymond |
| Succeeded by | William Claflin |
| 21stGovernor of New Jersey | |
| In office January 16, 1866 – January 19, 1869 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Parker |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Randolph |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Marcus Lawrence Ward (1812-11-09)November 9, 1812 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 1884(1884-04-25) (aged 71) Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Susan Longworth Morris (1840–1884) |
| Children | 8 |
| Signature | .png) |
Marcus Lawrence Ward (November 9, 1812 – April 25, 1884) was an AmericanRepublican Party politician, who served as the 21stgovernor of New Jersey from 1866 to 1869 and representedEssex County for one term from 1873 to 1875.
Marcus Lawrence Ward was born inNewark, New Jersey, on November 9, 1812, to Moses and Fanny (née Brown) Ward.[1] 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.[1]
He attended Newark's public schools and then joined his family's soap and candle making business.[1] The business was operated by Ward's father and uncle, and Ward eventually became a partner.[2] 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.[2]
By the 1840s, Ward's business success enabled him to concentrate much of his time and effort on civic causes and philanthropy.[1] He was chairman of the executive committee of theNew Jersey Historical Society, director of the National State Bank, and a founder of both theNewark Library Association and the New Jersey Art Union.[1]
By 1856, Ward became interested in the growing movement for theabolition of slavery, which led him to become involved in the new nationalRepublican Party.
In 1858, he traveled west toKansas,a figurative and literal battleground between pro- and anti-slavery forces, to support the free-state cause.[1] He soon returned to Newark, joined theRepublican Party because of its anti-slavery stance, became involved in local Newark politics. He was a delegate to the1860 Republican National Convention.[1]
During theAmerican Civil War, Ward became identified prominently with theUnion cause, primarily as a philanthropic advocate for those serving in uniform.[1] 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."[1] 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.[1] Ward soon created an office devoted to aiding veterans, which assisted them in procuring pensions, medical care, and other benefits.[3]
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.[3]
On the strength of his personal popularity and bipartisan support for his philanthropy, Ward was nominated on theNational Union Party ticket for Governor in 1862, but he lost to DemocratJoel 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.[4]
During the1864 presidential election, Ward was chairman and treasurer of theNational Union Party in New Jersey.[2]
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 byAlexander G. Cattell, a wealthygrain merchant who had only recently returned to the state. At the 1865 Republican nominating convention in Trenton, there was a deadlock between the two candidates that refused to break. One strategy involved delegates working to convince influential GeneralHugh Judson Kilpatrick to give his support, but he refused. It was finally broken on the fourth ballot after a collection of civil war veteran delegates voted to hand the nomination to Ward.George M. Robeson, the leader of the Cattell campaign, made the nomination unanimous. In the general election, Ward defeatedTheodore Runyon by a large margin bolstered by the veterans' vote.[4][2]
Ward served as Governor from 1866 to 1869. His administration was marked by active support for and involvement in the federalReconstruction process, a marked contrast from his predecessorJoel Parker. Though theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution 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 theFourteenth Amendment.[4]
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 inriparian water rights, asking that owners of underwater land compensate the state for the right to build improvements.[4]
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 ofFrederick T. Frelinghuysen to the U.S. Senate. In his early days in office, Ward confidently predicted New Jersey was now "firmly fixed among the Republican states,"[5] but the state would not elect another Republican governor until 1895.
While in office, Ward also served as chairman of theRepublican National Committee from 1866 to 1868.[5] In 1868, Ward became the first president of the Newark Industrial Exhibition.[2]
After leaving the governor's office, Ward resumed his business and civic interests.[5] In 1872, he was a successful candidate for Congress representingEssex County (numbered the6th district). He served one term, 1873 to 1875, but was defeated for reelection in 1874 by DemocratFrederick H. Teese.[5][6]
After leaving Congress in 1875, Ward devoted the rest of his life to his family and personal affairs.[5]
In 1840, Ward married Susan Longworth Morris, a relative ofNicholas Longworth. The Wards had eight children, though only two lived to adulthood:[2]
Ward contracted malaria while on a trip toFlorida in early 1884.[5] He returned home, but did not recover.[2] Ward died in Newark on April 25, 1884, and was buried atMount Pleasant Cemetery.[7]
After Ward's death, his son Marcus used part of the family fortune to found theWard Homestead, a home for elderly bachelors and widowers.[5][8] The site is now part of a larger retirement complex known as Winchester Gardens.[8]
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.[9] The museum was built on the site of Ward's former home.[9]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of New Jersey 1862,1865 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican National Committee 1866–1868 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of New Jersey 1866–1869 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew Jersey's 6th congressional district 1873–1875 | Succeeded by |
| Proprietary Province |  | |
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| East New Jersey | ||
| West New Jersey | ||
| Dominion of New England (1688–89) | ||
| Royal governors |
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| State (since 1776) |
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* UnderN.J.S.A. 52:15-5 (as amended in 2005), an acting governor serving for 180 continuous days or more is conferred the title of Governor. | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
