Nationality American | Name Joshua Ward | |
 | ||
Born November 24, 1800 ( 1800-11-24 ) Brookgreen Plantation, Georgetown, South Carolina Occupation Rice farmer, plantation owner, slaveholder Known for America's largest slaveholder. Died February 27, 1853, Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina, United States | ||
Joshua John Ward, of Georgetown County, South Carolina, was the largest American slaveholder, dubbed "the king of the rice planters".
Contents
In 1850 he held 1,092 slaves, and in 1860 his heirs (his estate) held 1,130 or 1,131 slaves.
One of his plantations, the Brookgreen Plantation, is now part of a park called Brookgreen Gardens.
Ward was the largest slaveholder in the United States during his lifetime.
Career
In addition to his rice plantations, he served as the 44th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 1850 to 1852, as a Democrat, under Governor John Hugh Means.
Family history
Ward was born November 24, 1800, at Brookgreen Plantation, South Carolina. He was married March 14, 1825, in South Carolina to Joanna Douglas Hasell, and died February 27, 1853, at Brookgreen Plantation. His father was Joshua Ward and his mother was Elizabeth Cook.