John Manning Ward AO FAHA (6 July 1919 – 6 May 1990) was a Vice-Chancellor and Challis Professor of History at the University of Sydney.

He steered the History Department through a period of scarce resources into an era of expansion.

[2] Ward had previously been Fellow of Senate from 1974 to 1977, and took office as vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney in 1981 and held that position until 1990.

On 6 May 1990, Professor Ward, together with his wife Patricia, 69, and his daughter Jennifer, 36, were on board the 3801 steam train on a Sunday excursion run from the Hunter Valley to Sydney.

The collision also killed Moira Jennings, the wife of the registrar, as well as injuring several other members of the university.