Thomas H. Ward Papers

Thomas H. Ward (b. 1927 – d. 2016) was a prominent local political figure and judge in Baltimore City. He was born in West Baltimore. Ward was a Baltimore Circuit Court judge, Baltimore City Councilman, president of Mount Royal Democratic Club, and founder of the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fells point. He was also a supporter of historic preservation in Baltimore and of the Irish Railroad Workers Museum.

Ward graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1945 and served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. In 1950 he earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, and in 1953 he graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law. He was admitted to the Maryland Bar the same year. He then worked as a reporter for the Baltimore Sun and also worked with the B and O railroad.

Ward practiced law in Baltimore throuhgout his life. His first office was in a building that was once the home of Maryland Governor Edwin Warfield on Linden Ave. The building was condemned by the city during urban renewal projects in the 1960s. Ward became involved in many urban renewal issues and filed suits to preserve several neighborhoods in Baltimore.

Notably, Judge Ward opposed the proposed East-West Expressway in Baltimore and cast the only vote against the highway plan in 1967 during his term on City Council. He also filed lawsuits to protect Federal Hill and Fells Point, neighborhoods that could have been effected by the proposed highway.

In 1982 Ward ran and was elected to the Baltimore City Circuit Court. He retired in 1997. At age 87 in 2014, Ward was appointed Chairman of the Baltimore Liquor Board.

Information for this historical note was taken from the collection and also found through local newspaper obituaries.