Harry Frederick Ward Papers, 1880-1979

Harry Frederick Ward; Methodist minister, social ethicist, and Union Theological Seminary Professor of Ethics, co-founder of American Civil Liberties Union.

Harry F. Ward was born October 15, 1873 in Middlesex, England to Harry and Florence Ward. Ward emigrated in 1890 from England to the United States in pursuit of an education that was not easily accessible to him in England due to his working class background. He began his studies at the University of Southern California from 1893-1894 and then transferred to Northwestern University to follow the political science professor George Albert Coe. From 1895-1897 Ward studied philosophy at Northwestern. He then went on to earn his MA at Harvard University on a scholarship in 1897.

When Ward returned to Chicago in 1898, he began work as head resident at the Northwestern Settlement House, a settlement house in the tradition of Jane Addams and the Hull House. In 1899 Ward married Daisy Kendall, who was politically active in her own right throughout her life. During their time in Chicago the couple had three children: Gordon, Lynd and Muriel. After being pushed out of his position at the Northwestern Settlement House in 1900, Ward became a lay minister at the Wabash Avenue Methodist Church.

In 1902 he was certified to preach as a full minister of the Methodist Church. Ward served an additional three Methodist churches as pastor until 1912.

Making a transition from ministerial to academic life, in 1913 Ward became the first professor of Social Service at the Boston University School of Theology. Beginning in 1916 Ward also served as a Lecturer at Union Theological Seminary. Ward taught at Boston University until 1919 when he became professor of Christian Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. Among the academic honors Ward received during his career was an LLD from the University of Wisconsin in 1931. Ward taught at Union until his retirement in 1941, and was a Professor Emeritus at Union from 1941 until his death in 1966.

In addition to his ministerial and academic responsibilities, Ward was an active participant in many political organizations committed to the struggles of the poor and working class. Ward founded the Methodist Federation of Social Services in 1907 and served as its General Secretary from 1912 to 1944. In 1933 Ward helped found New America, an organization committed to economic reform and moving the country towards socialism. In the 1930s Ward was also a leader in the American League against War and Fascism, and remained committed to anti-war efforts throughout this life. This organization was renamed the American League for Peace and Democracy, and Ward served as its Chairman from 1934 to 1940. He was also a regular speaker at the National Council of American Soviet Friendship.

Ward helped co-found the American Civil Liberties Union. He served as the National Chairman of the ACLU from founding in 1920 to 1940, but resigned in protest when Communists were barred from holding office in the organization. Towards the end of his life Ward also served as a consultant for the Religious Freedom Committee, which, like the ACLU, sought to protect the rights of individuals. The Religious Freedom committee organized a national campaign to abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee because of its indictment of religious leaders.

Throughout his life Ward was attacked for his leftist politics. In 1953 Ward was one of three Methodist ministers named by House Un-American Activities Committee as a communist conspirator. He denied the charges.

Ward's 90th birthday celebration was held in the Carnegie Hall and sponsored by 100 religious leaders and educators. Ward died at the age of 93 on Dec. 10th 1966 in the Palisades, New Jersey, where he had lived since his time teaching at Union. In addition to a private funeral, a memorial service was held at Union Theological Seminary in his honor. Ward was survived by two sons and their families: Dr. Gordon Ward, a professor of agricultural economics in the American University of Beirut, and Lynd Ward, a graphic artist.