Samuel Ringgold Ward (October 17, 1817 – c. 1866) was an African American who escaped enslavement to become an abolitionist, newspaper editor, labor leader, and Congregational church minister.

He was author of the influential book Autobiography of a Fugitive Negro: his anti-slavery labours in the United States, Canada and England, written after his speeches throughout Britain in 1853.

[This quote needs a citation] While there, his youngest son, William Reynolds Ward, died and was buried; and two of his daughters, Emily and Alice, were born.

However, the stay was brief, on account of Samuel Ward participating in the "Jerry Rescue" on the first day of October in that year, leading him to emigrate in some haste to Canada that November.

During the last few years of Samuel Ward's residence in the United States he had become editor and part owner of two newspapers; the Farmer and Northern Star, and Boston's Impartial Citizen.

[2] He was a firm believer in the need for "anti-slavery labors, organizations, agitation, and newspapers"[This quote needs a citation] and conscious of the need to keep the papers from being censured, or worse as in the death of Elijah P. Lovejoy, he commenced the study of law.

[3] Assembled on June 13, 1850, in the lecture room of Zion's church in New York City, the League appointed Samuel Ringgold Ward as its first president, Frederick Douglass as its vice-president, and Henry Bibb as its secretary.

[5] While she was the editor-in-chief, as the first woman publisher in North America, she was afraid of not being taken seriously and originally hid her involvement with the paper by putting Ward's and the Rev.

[This quote needs a citation]At the annual meeting of the Congregational Union, Samuel Ward was formally introduced to the body by the Secretary, Rev.

A dinner for the Congregational ministers and delegates was organised at Radley's Hotel, at which Samuel Ward gave his first London anti-slavery speech about the need for financial support in Canada: The amiable Rev.

[This quote needs a citation]Samuel Ward's visit to London was, he considered, at a most fortunate time for his fund-raising endeavour, because: "of the twofold fact that Uncle Tom's Cabin was in every body's hands and heart, and its gifted authoress was the English people's guest.

Ward's address had a successful impact, for almost immediately—21 June—it led to the formation of a London Committee to seek financial support for the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada.