Thomas Ward (New Jersey politician)

Thomas Ward
Member of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
In office
March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817
ConstituencyNorthern district (1813)
At-large district (1814-1817)
15th Vice-President of Council
In office
1809
Preceded byEbenezer Seeley
Succeeded byCharles Clark
Member of the New Jersey Legislative Council
In office
1808–1809
Judge of Essex County Court
In office
1804–1809
Sheriff of Essex County
In office
1797
Personal details
Born1759 (1759)
DiedMarch 4, 1842(1842-03-04) (aged 82–83)
Resting placeFirst Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey, US
PartyDemocratic-Republican
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceLegion of the United States
Years of service1794
RankMajor
UnitNew Jersey State Militia
Battles/warsWhiskey Rebellion

Thomas Ward (ca. 1759 - March 4, 1842) represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1813 to 1817.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, Ward completed preparatory studies. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Newark, New Jersey. He served as captain and major in the state militia during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. He served as Sheriff of Essex County, New Jersey, in 1797.

Ward was elected one of the judges of the Essex County Court in 1804 and reelected in 1809. He served as member of the New Jersey Legislative Council in 1808 and 1809 serving as Vice-President of Council in the latter year.

Ward was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Congresses (March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1817). He was a general and senior officer of the New Jersey Cavalry at the time of his death in Newark, New Jersey, March 4, 1842.[1] He was interred in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Newark.[2]

Ward purchased a number of properties in Otsego and St. Lawrence counties in New York from James Fenimore Cooper.[3] The former Ward estate in Newark is the site of St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral.

References

  1. ^ "Guide to the Stafford-Ward Family Papers 1811-1957 ", The New Jersey Historical Society
  2. ^ Thomas Ward, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 23, 2007.
  3. ^ Franklin, Wayne. James Fenimore Cooper: The Early Years, Yale University Press, 2008, p. 237 ISBN 9780300135008