William Shaw Ward was a metallurgist, mine manager, director of mining and mineral exhibits at several famous world fairs, and the first Curator of Minerals (1905 to 1914) at the new Colorado Museum of Natural History, now the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Ward was born to missionary parents in Madras, India on May 25, 1843. The family returned to the northeastern United States and with the outbreak of the Civil War, young William enlisted in the US Navy. He served on gunboats with the Mississippi River fleet. Near the end of the war he began studies at Princeton University, but transferred to Columbia School of Mines to specialize in metallurgy. After working initially as a chemist in Rhode Island, Ward was appointed Assayer in the U.S. Assay Office in New York City in 1868. During this time he edited several technical journals and also developed an appreciation for fine arts. He moved to Leadville in 1878, where he began his long, distinguished career with Colorado minerals. In Leadville, Ward quickly rose to manager of the Evening Star Mine, and in 1882, he became manager of the consolidated Evening Star and Morning Star mining operations. His management brought good financial returns to the mine owners, shareholders, and himself. In 1880, he married Emma Jane Ward, daughter of Judge Jasper D. Ward of Chicago. They had four children. The family traveled extensively in Europe and Ward did post-graduate studies in metallurgy at Oxford University. The Ward family moved to Denver in 1883. He began his association with large exhibitions with his appointment as Commissioner from Colorado to the Paris Exhibition of 1889. In 1892 he was named Director in Chief of the impressive Colorado Mining and Mineral Exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, which included a number of outstanding gold specimens from Breckenridge, among them possibly the famous John F. Campion gold collection. Perhaps partially in recognition of his contributions to public education, Princeton University awarded him a Doctor of Science degree in 1893. At the Paris Exhibition of 1900, he served as Assistant Director of the Department of Mines and Metallurgy. Following this, Ward served as Field Director of the Department of Mines and Metallurgy for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In addition to his primary responsibilities with minerals, he also served on numerous juries for fine art and ceramics at most of these world expositions. In 1905, Ward was appointed Director of Minerals for the newly formed Colorado Museum of Natural History. Using his experience from the world fairs, he assembled an impressive display featuring minerals of Colorado, the heart of which was the Campion gold collection. The Museum opened in 1908, and Ward was in charge of the Art Department and Archaeological Collection as well as minerals. Long active in Denver civic groups, Ward used his influence with the Chamber of Commerce to raise funds and increase attendance, allowing the Museum to survive and remain open. Ward resigned from the Museum in 1914 and died at his Denver home on his 74th birthday, May 25, 1917.

Bio from William S. Ward papers, Alfred M. Bailey Library and Archives, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Children ~ Jane Shaw, Jasper Dudley, William Shaw Jr. and Morris Raworth