Samuel Gray Ward
Samuel Gray Ward | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Portland, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 1907 (aged 90) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, writer, banker |
| Known for | Participation in Transcendentalism movement; founding role in Metropolitan Museum of Art |
Samuel Gray Ward (October 3, 1817 – November 17, 1907) was an American poet, writer, and a lesser-known participant in the Transcendentalism movement. In addition to his literary pursuits, he was a banker and played a role in founding the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Among his peers were poets such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, who expressed disappointment when Ward abandoned his literary career for business prior to his marriage.
Early life
Born in Portland, Maine to Lydia Gray and Thomas Wren Ward—Harvard's treasurer from 1830 until 1842 and the American representative for the merchant bank Baring Brothers & Co.—Ward had a brother named George Cabot Ward.
He completed his studies at Harvard College alongside fellow Transcendentalist poet Jones Very. During his time as a student, Ward lived with Professor John Farrar and his wife, accompanying them on a trip to Europe in 1836 before traveling independently through England, Paris, and Rome.
Career
Ward developed a relationship with Ralph Waldo Emerson and contributed four poems to the first edition of the Transcendentalist periodical The Dial. Emerson appreciated Ward’s perspectives on art criticism, frequently expressing admiration and dependence on him in letters. He referred to Ward as "beautiful among so many ordinary & mediocre youths" and regarded him with personal affection.
Ward provided financial backing for Ellery Channing’s poetry publication, even though critics such as Emerson and Edgar Allan Poe considered Channing’s work lacking. After Margaret Fuller passed away in 1850, Emerson encouraged Ward to write her biography; however, he declined the proposal.
Thanks to an inheritance and successful business activities, Ward became the wealthiest individual within the Transcendentalist community. Although Emerson included four of Ward’s poems in the 1874 anthology Parnassus, Ward stopped composing poetry following his initial contributions to The Dial.
Personal life
In 1840, Ward married Anna Hazard Barker (1813–1900), despite their mutual friend Margaret Fuller’s disappointment. Barker’s father, New York State Senator Jacob Barker (1779–1871), employed Ward as a banker—a profession Ward chose to provide for his family. Fuller regretted this shift from art to commerce, a sentiment shared by Emerson; nonetheless, Ward maintained correspondence with Transcendentalist associates throughout his life.
Ward and Barker had four children—three daughters and one son:
- Anna Barker Ward (1841–1875), who married French merchant Joseph Marie Antoine Thoron and died following childbirth.
- Lydia Gray "Lily" Ward (born 1843), who wed German Baron Richard von Hoffman in 1870.
- Thomas Wren Ward (1844–1940), who married Sophia Read Howard, a descendant of Governor George Howard (Governor of Maryland), in 1872.
- Elizabeth Barker "Bessie" Ward (1847–1920), who married Austrian Baron Ernst Augustus Schönberg-Roth-Schönberg and resided at Schloss Pallaus in South Tyrol.
Their family owned a summer residence called Oakwood in Lenox, Massachusetts, situated on land acquired in 1844—currently part of the Shadow Brook Farm Historic District. Poet Emma Lazarus was known to visit there occasionally with her family.
Ward passed away on November 17, 1907, in Washington, D.C..
Legacy
In 1869, Ward played a pivotal role in establishing the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was a member of its Board of Trustees from 1870 until 1889 and also fulfilled the duties of treasurer. Among the museum's collection is a bas-relief of Ward created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, considered one of the sculptor's most exceptional pieces.
Descendants
Elizabeth Howard Ward (1873–1954), Ward's granddaughter, wed Charles Bruen Perkins (1860–1929) in 1896. Perkins, a Harvard alumnus and architect trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, was the son of Charles Callahan Perkins.