Lafe Preston Ward (August 23, 1925 – April 10, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer.

Early life and education

Born in

Williamson, West Virginia Williamson is a city in and the county seat of Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Tug Fork River. The population was 3,042 at the 2020 census. and is the county's largest and most populous city. Williamson is home to ...

, Ward graduated from

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and received his law degree from

West Virginia University College of Law The West Virginia University College of Law is the professional school for the study of law at West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. The law school was established on February 20, 1878, as the first professional s ...

Career

Lafe Preston Ward’s career in public service was further marked by his involvement in various

legal Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a Socia ...

and

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

roles in

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. After serving in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Ward contributed to his local community through his work as city attorney for

. In addition, he held the position of prosecuting attorney for Mingo County and was a member of the Mingo County Board of Education. As a member of the

West Virginia Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the West Virginia Democratic Party, Democratic P ...

from 1971 to 1983, Ward advocated for policies that shaped the state’s development and was known for his strong dedication to his constituents. 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 ...

, Ward served in the

from 1971 to 1983.

Personal life

Ward died in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

.Obituary

References

1925 births 2013 deaths People from Williamson, West Virginia University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni West Virginia University College of Law alumni West Virginia lawyers Democratic Party West Virginia state senators United States Navy personnel of World War II West Virginia city attorneys 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the West Virginia Legislature {{WestVirginia-politician-stub