Date of Birth: 17/08/1823
Place of Birth: Calcutta, Bengal, India
Date of Death: 05/02/1890
Place of Death: 'Villa La Garde' near Cannes, France
Parliamentary Service
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
03 Sep 1861 |
12 Apr 1865 |
3 years 7 months 10 days |
Life Appointment under the Constitution Act. Date of Writ of Summons 24 June 1861 |
| Member of the NSW Legislative Council |
28 May 1855 |
29 Feb 1856 |
9 months 2 days |
A Non-Elective Member of the first Legislative Council 1843 – 1856 |
| Deputy-Master and Chief Officer of Branch Royal Mint |
29 Apr 1853 |
31 Dec 1867 |
14 years 8 months 3 days |
|
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Public servant. Educated at Royal Military Academy in Woolwich from 1839. Commissioned in Royal Engineers in 1841; studied engineering and architecture at Chatham; served in Bermuda and Britain; studied at Royal School of Mines in London. Worked at Royal Mint. Captain in 1852. Arrived in New South Wales in in 1854 as deputy master of Royal Mint in charge of newly founded Melbourne branch of the Royal Mint. Was Chief Commissioner of Railways briefly in 1855, Commissioner from 1857 until 1858; local director of European Assurance Society; trustee of Savings Bank of New South Wales; lieutenant colonel in 1864. Journeyed to Melbourne in 1869 to be in charge of the newly founded Melbourne Royal Mint. Returned to England in 1877 and became a Major General. From 1870s invested in cattle stations in Queensland. On council of Philosophical Society of New South Wales; sometime honorary secretary. Elective trustee of Australian Museum. Superannuation Fund Commissioner from 1864 until 1865; Member of Government Asylums Board for the Infirm and Destitute; on committee of church society. Keen cricketer representing New South Wales against Victoria.
Honours Received
Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1874; Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1879
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of John Petty Ward, Bengal civil servant, and Elinore Erskine. Married Anne Sophia Campbell on 21 November 1857 and had issue, 3 daughters and 3 sons. Church of England.
Additional Information
Robert Griffin and Megan Martin, 'Captain E W Ward Royal Engineer: First Master
of the Sydney Mint', Insites [newsletter of the Historic Houses Trust of New
South Wales], Winter 2004, pp. 2 - 3. This publication includes a photograph of
a portrait in oils by James Anderson of Ward in the Mitchell Library, State
Library of New South Wales.
