Elijah Ward (September 16, 1816 – February 7, 1882) was a

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

and the

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 Union ...

era.

Early life

Ward was born in Sing Sing (now Ossining),

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He pursued classical studies at the Common Schools in Sing Sing.

Career

In 1833, he came to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to engage in commercial pursuits and, at the same time, study law in the office of his uncle, Maj. Gen. Aaron Ward, who was then a U.S. Representative from

Westchester County Westchester County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The county is the seventh most populous cou ...

. In 1838, he began attending the law department of

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, and was admitted to the bar in 1843 and thereafter commenced practice in New York City. In 1839, he was elected president of the Mercantile Library Association of New York City. Ward was judge advocate general of the State 1853 to 1855, and was appointed on Governor

Horatio Seymour Horatio Seymour (May 31, 1810February 12, 1886) was an American politician. He served as the eighteenth Governor of New York from 1853 to 1854 and again from 1863 to 1864. He was the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...

's staff with the rank of Brigadier general. He was also a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1856.

U.S. Congress

He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, over George Briggs on the "Native American" ticket and Gen. James W. Nye, the Republican candidate (who later became the Governor of Nevada Territory and a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

from Nevada), to the Thirty-fifth Congress serving from March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1859, but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1858. He was subsequently elected to the Thirty-seventh and Thirty-eighth Congresses serving from March 4, 1861 to March 3, 1865, but again was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1864, losing to

Henry Jarvis Raymond Henry Jarvis Raymond (January 24, 1820 – June 18, 1869) was an American journalist, newspaper publisher, and politician who co-founded both the Republican Party and ''The New York Times''. He was a member of the New York State Assembly, the ...

. He resumed the practice of law in New York City, and then was elected to the

Forty-fourth Congress The 44th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1875, ...

and served one term, from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1877, as he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1876, losing to General Anson G. McCook. While in Congress, he served on the Committees on Roads and Canals and in his last term, he was chairman of the Committee on Commerce.

Personal life

On August 28, 1866, Ward was married to Ellen Eliza (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Cairns) Stuart (d. 1893), who was previously married to Lt. Robert Stuart, who died in

Warrenton, Virginia Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 10,057 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 9,611 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and 6,670 at ...

while fighting for the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War. He died in Roslyn in

Nassau County, New York Nassau County ( ) is a suburban County (United States), county located on Long Island, immediately to the east of New York City, bordering the Long Island Sound on the north and the open Atlantic Ocean to the south. As of the 2020 United St ...

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

on February 7, 1882. He was buried in

Woodlawn Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery is the name of several cemeteries, including: Canada * Woodlawn Cemetery (Saskatoon) * Woodlawn Cemetery (Nova Scotia) United States ''(by state then city or town)'' * Woodlawn Cemetery (Ocala, Florida), where Isaac Rice and fa ...

in the Bronx.

Legacy

After his death, his widow donated a memorial horse trough in

Roslyn Harbor, New York Roslyn Harbor is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. It is considered part ...

in his memory. Shortly after her death in 1893, her children erected the Clocktower and gave it to the Town as a memorial.

References

External links

* *
Speech of Hon. Elijah Ward, of New York, in the House of Representatives, February 21, 1877
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Elijah 1816 births 1882 deaths People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Ossining, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) New York University School of Law alumni 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives