William George Ward

William George Ward was born in London on March 21, 1812. Educated at Winchester College and Christ Church, Oxford, he initially excelled in pure mathematics. However, his intellectual journey led him to the Tractarian movement, where he became a fervent advocate for Roman Catholicism. His controversial 1844 publication, "The Ideal of a Christian Church," which argued for the submission of the Church of England to Rome, led to his deprivation of university degrees by Oxford in 1845. He converted to Catholicism in September 1845. After his conversion, Ward focused on ethics, metaphysics, and moral philosophy. He became a professor of moral philosophy and later dogmatic theology at St. Edmund's College in Ware. From 1863 to 1878, he served as the editor of the "Dublin Review," where he vigorously defended papal authority and opposed liberal Catholicism, notably supporting the dogma of Papal Infallibility in 1870. Ward also engaged in significant intellectual debates, including correspondence with John Stuart Mill and participation in the Metaphysical Society. He died on July 6, 1882, in Hampstead, London. Ward was the father of Wilfrid Philip Ward, a notable biographer, and the grandfather of Wilfrid and Maisie Ward, who became prominent figures in Catholic publishing.