Lester Frank Ward (June 18, 1841 – April 18, 1913) was an American botanist, paleontologist, and sociologist. The first president of the American Sociological Association, James Q. Dealey characterized Ward as a "great pioneer" in the development of American sociology, with contemporaries referring to him as "the Nestor of American sociologists," His 1883 work Dynamic Sociology was influential in establishing sociology as a distinct field in the United States. Despite its initial impact his work was sidelined during the later institutionalization and development of American sociology.Lybeck, E. R. (2013). "Lester Ward and Patrick Geddes in early American and British sociology." History of the Human Sciences, 26(2), p. 52.
Biography Childhood: 1841–1858 Most, if not all of what is known about Ward's early life comes from the biography, Lester F. Ward: A Personal Sketch, written by Emily Palmer Cape in 1922. Lester Frank Ward was born in Joliet, Illinois. He was the youngest of 10 children born to Justus Ward and his wife Silence Rolph Ward. Justus Ward (d. 1858) was of New England colonial descent and worked on farms in addition to being an itinerant mechanic. Silence Ward was the daughter of a clergyman; she was educated and fond of literature. The family lived in poverty during Ward's early years.
When Ward was one year old, the family moved closer to Chicago, to Cass, now known as Downers Grove, Illinois about twenty-three miles from Lake Michigan. The family then moved to a homestead in nearby St. Charles, Illinois where Ward's father built a saw mill business making railroad ties. As a child, Ward had to worked in farms, mills, and factories to supplement his family income, giving him little time for his education. Ward first attended a formal school at St. Charles, Kane County, Illinois, in 1850 when he was nine years old. He was known as Frank Ward to his classmates and friends and showed a great enthusiasm for books and learning, liberally supplementing his education with outside reading. Four years after Ward started attending school, his parents, along with Lester and an older brother, Erastus, traveled to Iowa in a covered wagon for a new life on the frontier.
Starting college: 1858–1862 In 1858, Justus Ward unexpectedly died, and the boys returned the family to the old homestead they still owned in St. Charles. Ward's estranged mother, who lived two miles away with Ward's sister, disapproved of the move, and wanted the boys to stay in Iowa to continue their father's work. The two brothers lived together for a short time in the old family homestead, which they dubbed "Bachelor's Hall;" did farm work to earn a living; and encouraged each other to pursue an education and abandon their father's life of physical labor.
In late 1858, the two brothers moved to Pennsylvania at the invitation of Lester Frank's oldest brother, Cyrenus (nine years Lester Frank's senior), who was starting a business making wagon wheel hubs and needed workers. The brothers saw that as an opportunity to move closer to civilization and eventually attend college.
The business failed, however, and Lester Frank, who still did not have the money to attend college, found a job teaching in a small country school; in the summer months he worked as a farm laborer. He finally saved enough money to attend college and enrolled in the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute in 1860. While he was at first self-conscious about his spotty formal education and self learning, he soon found that his knowledge compared favorably to his classmates', and he was rapidly promoted.
Civil War service and further studies: 1862–1873 Ward was a "fervent opponent of slavery"Sniegoski, S. J. (1985). "State Schools 'versus' Parental Rights: The Legacy of Lester Frank Ward." The Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies, 10(2), 215. and enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the Civil War in August, 1862. He suffered three gunshot wounds in the Battle of Chancellorsville and was discharged from service on November 18, 1864 due to physical disability. After the war, Ward moved to Washington. In Washington, he worked at the Treasury Department from 1865 until 1872.The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 19 April 1913. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1913-04-19/ed-1/seq-5/ Ward attended Columbian College, now the George Washington University, and graduating in 1869 with the degree of A.B.Cape, E. P. (1922). Lester F. Ward: A Personal Sketch GP Putnam's Sons. p. 31 In 1871, after he received the degree of LL.B, he was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. However, he never practiced law. In 1873, he completed his A.M. degree.
Government work and research in Washington, DC
Ward concentrated on his work as a researcher for the federal government. At that time almost all of the basic research in such fields as geography, paleontology, archaeology and anthropology were concentrated in Washington, DC, and a job as a federal government scientist was a prestigious and influential position. From 1881 until 1888, Ward worked at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 19 April 1913. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045433/1913-04-19/ed-1/seq-5/> He started out as an assistant geologist before being promoted in 1883. While he worked there, he became friends with John Wesley Powell, the second director of the USGS (1881–1894) and the director of the Bureau of Ethnology at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1892, he was named Paleontologist for the USGS, a position he held until 1906.
According to Edward Rafferty, Ward was part of a group of "Washington intellectuals" who "wanted to place social science within the structure of government and public life itself."Rafferty, E. (2003). Apostle of human progress: Lester Frank Ward and American political thought, 1841–1913. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 7 Ward believed that centering research activity in government actions would benefit democratic progress, and evade the partisanship, corruption, and conflict of post-Civil War politics.Rafferty, E. (2003). Apostle of human progress: Lester Frank Ward and American political thought, 1841–1913. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 10 Broadly, Ward's overarching project represented the "monumental exposition of the relation of the state to social progress."Barnes, H. E. (1919). "Two Representative Contributions of Sociology to Political Theory: The Doctrines of William Graham Sumner and Lester Frank Ward." American Journal of Sociology, 25(1), p. 3. Working from the perspective that social research could be used to improve policy and the function of government, Ward was noted by his contemporaries for engaging in "the most advanced views yet taken by an avowed sociologist in the advocacy of a comprehensive program of social reform through the medium of legislation."
During this time, Ward was very productive in writing and circulating works on his interests concerning nature and society. Ward published his Guide to the flora of Washington and vicinity (1881), followed shortly afterwards by the first volume of Dynamic Sociology: Or applied social science as based upon statistical sociology and the less complex sciences (1883), alongside his Sketch of Paleobotany (1885), Synopsis of the Flora of the Laramie Group (1885), and Types of the Laramie Flora (1887).
Gaining notability Reflecting his growing prominence as a scholar and acceptance in academic circles, Ward was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1889. In 1900, he was elected as the president of International Institute of Sociology in France.Cape, E. P. (1922). Lester F. Ward: A Personal Sketch. GP Putnam's Sons. p. 35 Ward was also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.Cape, E. P. (1922). Lester F. Ward: A Personal Sketch. GP Putnam's Sons. p. 34
From 1891 to 1905, Ward continued to publish numerous texts on natural history and sociology, with the circulation of his work in both areas contributing to his growing notability. These works included sociological writings on Neo-Darwinism and Neo-Lamarckism (1891), The Psychic Factors of Civilization (1893), multiple articles in Contributions to Social Philosophy (1895–1897), the second volume of his Dynamic Sociology (1897), and his Outlines of Sociology (1898).
Founding of American Sociological Association: 1905 In 1905, American sociologists debated the creation of an independent professional association that would be distinct from other existing collectives for historians, economists, and political scientists.Rafferty, E. (2003). Apostle of human progress: Lester Frank Ward and American political thought, 1841–1913. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 262 C. W. A. Veditz, a professor at George Washington University who admired Ward's work, sought Ward's opinion on the matter, with Ward arguing in favor of an organization that could mirror Paris' International Institute of Sociology.
At a meeting of approximately 300 sociologists at the December 27, 1905 American Economic Association, Ward made a strong argument for the establishment of the American Sociological Association, with the assembled sociologists passing Ward's motion and forming a committee to establish the association's charter and founding officers. Ward became the first president of the American Sociological Association on December 28, 1905 after his colleagues Ross, Small, and Giddings motioned for him to receive the honor. Ward was chosen for the role out of a belief among the committee that "all sociologists are under a heavy debt of gratitude" to his work, and because of Ward's commitment to raise the discipline's profile and esteem in a society where sociology was "not merely discredited, but almost entirely unknown."
Teaching at Brown and final years: 1906–1913 After becoming the first president of the American Sociological Association, Ward's reputation and prominence as a sociologist in America was at its peak. In 1906, Ward became chair of sociology at Brown University.Cape, E. P. (1922). Lester F. Ward: A Personal Sketch. GP Putnam's Sons. Previously, Ward had given "extended courses of lectures on sociology" at the University of Chicago and at Stanford University.The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]), 08 March 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91070630/1906-03-08/ed-1/seq-9/>
Prior to taking up the position at Brown, Ward and his wife travelled to Europe and Ward took part in various presentations and debates.Rafferty, E. (2003). Apostle of human progress: Lester Frank Ward and American political thought, 1841–1913. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 269–272 Ward was popular at Brown, as a teacher and colleague; a fellow professor, Samuel Mitchell, described him as "pre-eminent" among the "many able scholars and teachers" at Brown.Rafferty, E. (2003). Apostle of human progress: Lester Frank Ward and American political thought, 1841–1913. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 275 One of Ward's students, Sara Algeo, wrote that "studying with Prof. Ward was like sitting at the feet of Aristotle, or Plato ... He was the wisest man I have ever known." In 1910, Ward taught at the University of Wisconsin Madison's sociology department during their summer school.Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.), 10 March 1910. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85040245/1910-03-10/ed-1/seq-4/>