Ward was born in New York City. He studied at
University of California, Berkeley, receiving his BA in 1924. He obtained his Ph.D. in mathematics from Caltech in 1928, He became a research fellow at Caltech, and then in 1929 a member of the faculty; he remained at Caltech until his death in 1963. Among his doctoral students was
Robert P. Dilworth, who also became a Caltech professor. Ward is the
academic ancestor of over 500 mathematicians and computer scientists through Dilworth and another of his students,
Donald A. Darling. == Research ==