Hamilton Ward Sr.
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Hamilton Ward Sr. (July 3, 1829– December 28, 1898) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a judge on the
Supreme Court of New York The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
, the
attorney general of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...
, and a Republican member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...
.


Education

He attended the common schools and was privately tutored. He studied law in
Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...
, was admitted to the
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.


Early career

He commenced legal practice in Philipsville in 1851. Beginning in 1858 Ward was regularly selected as a delegate to New York's Republican state conventions, and he attended almost every one until 1890. He was
district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
of Allegany County from 1856 to 1859 and again from 1862 to 1865. He was appointed in 1862 by the
governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...
as commissioner to raise and equip troops for the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
.


United States House of Representatives

Ward was elected as a Republican to the 39th, 40th and
41st United States Congress The 41st 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, 1869, ...
es, serving from March 4, 1865 to March 3, 1871. While a Representative, he was Chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Fortieth Congress). In 1868, Ward was on the seven-person committee tasked with authoring the articles of impeachment against President
Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...
after Johnson was impeached. Ward was not a candidate for renomination to the House in 1870.


Post-congressional career in New York State politics

Ward was
attorney general of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...
from 1880 to 1881, elected in
1879 Events January * January 1 ** The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. ** Brahms' Violin Concerto is premiered in Leipzig with Joseph Joachim ...
. Ward was a delegate to the
New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...
of 1890, and was appointed (and subsequently elected) a justice of the
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
and served from 1891 to 1895, and in the Appellate Division from 1895 until his death in 1898.


Personal life

Ward's son Hamilton Ward Jr. would go on to serve as attorney general of New York himself (1929–1930). Ward was buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Belmont.


References


Sources


Obituary
in the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' on December 29, 1898


External links


Additional biographic material
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Hamilton Sr. 1829 births 1898 deaths People from Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York People from Wellsville, New York County district attorneys in New York (state) New York State attorneys general New York Supreme Court justices Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York state court judges Impeachment of Andrew Johnson 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives