[4] Ward was a surveyor by trade, and he surveyed parts of the Wairau Valley, and the town and district of Kaikōura.

[6] Ward's first attempt of getting elected to the general assembly was in the 1872 Wairau by-election, but he was beaten by Arthur Seymour.

When Seymour resigned in 1875 prior to a trip to England, Ward won the resulting 1875 by-election and represented the electorate from 21 June to 6 December,[6] when he was defeated for Cheviot.

He was buried in the catholic section of the Omaka Cemetery with his son Joseph and daughter Francis.

[4][9] Wards Pass, an alpine pass that lies between the valleys of the upper Acheron and Awatere Rivers, was discovered by Ward and his brother-in-law, Cyrus Goulter, in March 1847, and is named after him.