Matthias Ward

Matthias Ward
United States Senator
from Texas
In office
September 27, 1858 – December 5, 1859
Appointed byHardin Richard Runnels
Preceded byJames P. Henderson
Succeeded byLouis Wigfall
Member of the Texas Senate
from the 1st district
In office
November 13, 1849 – November 3, 1850
Preceded byWilliam M. "Buckskin" Williams
Succeeded byJoseph H. Burks
Personal details
Born(1805-10-13)October 13, 1805
Elbert County, Georgia, U.S.
DiedOctober 5, 1861(1861-10-05) (aged 55)
Warm Springs, North Carolina, U.S.
Resting placeOld Cemetery
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic

Matthias Ward (October 13, 1805 – October 5, 1861) was a lawyer and United States Senator from Texas.

Early life

Matthias Ward was born on October 13, 1805, in Elbert County, Georgia.[1] Ward was raised in Madison County, Alabama.[citation needed] He attended an academy in Huntsville, Alabama, taught school and studied law.[1] In 1836 he settled in Bowie, Texas, moving to Clarksville, Texas in 1845 and later to Jefferson, Texas.[citation needed]

Career

Ward served in the seventh and eighth congresses of the Republic of Texas and later in the state senate as a Democrat from 1849 to 1850.[1] This was followed by unsuccessful campaigns for lieutenant governor in 1851 and United States Congress in 1855. In 1855, he ran with a proslavery and states-right campaign against Lemuel D. Evans.[1]

Upon J. Pinckney Henderson’s death in 1858, Ward was appointed to replace him in the United States Senate. He served from September 27, 1858, to December 5, 1859.[1] He failed to secure the nomination to run for the seat in election the next year.[citation needed]

Personal life

Ward died on October 5, 1861, in Warm Springs, North Carolina. He was buried Old Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Ward, Matthias (1805–1861)". tshaonline.org. 1952. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
Texas Senate
Preceded by Texas State Senator
from District 1

November 13, 1849 – November 3, 1850
Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 1) from Texas
1858–1859
Served alongside: Sam Houston, John Hemphill
Succeeded by