George Morgan Ward (1896-1902)
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Description
George Morgan Ward, who served twice as president of Rollins College—first from 1896 to 1902, and again from 1916 to 1922—was a clergyman and educator whose leadership helped stabilize and shape the college during two challenging periods in its early history. Born on May 23, 1859, in Lowell, Massachusetts, Ward was the son of Sullivan Lawrence Ward, a dentist, and Mary Frances Morgan Ward. He was a descendant of William Ward, a soldier in the King Philip’s War.
After attending Lowell High School, Ward studied at Harvard and later graduated from Dartmouth College in 1882. He pursued law, passed the bar, and briefly worked in contracting before turning to ministry and education. He served as general secretary of the United Society of Christian Endeavor and editor of its magazine, The Golden Rule, before resigning due to health issues. He later studied at Andover Theological Seminary and Johns Hopkins University.
In 1896, Ward accepted the presidency of Rollins College, which was still recovering from Florida’s devastating Big Freeze of 1895. Despite financial hardship, he helped keep the institution afloat and broadened its religious affiliation from Congregationalist to interdenominational. During his first tenure, the faculty grew significantly, and new buildings were added to campus. He married Emma Merriam Sprague in the same year.
Ward left Rollins in 1902 to become president of Wells College in New York but returned in 1916 for a second term. Serving without pay in these trying years, he worked tirelessly to reduce the college’s debt and led a successful campaign to increase the endowment by $500,000. He retired for the final time in 1922 and became pastor of Elliot-Union Church in Lowell, Massachusetts.
George Morgan Ward died on December 28, 1930, in Palm Beach, Florida. His memorial service at Rollins featured music and tributes, including remarks by President Hamilton Holt, who called him “a great leader and a steadfast friend.” To honor his legacy of services, Rollins Board of Trustees established the George Norgan Ward Medal, to be awarded to “those who have exemplified the ideals of for which President Wad stood and the sacrifices which he made in the cause of Christian education.”
First Year of Presidency
1896
Recommended Citation
Rollins College Archives and Special Collections, "George Morgan Ward (1896-1902)" (1896). Rollins Presidents. 7.
https://scholarship.rollins.edu/presidents/7
