Monte Ward

Baseball player and lawyer, born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, USA. A pitcher and infielder for 17 years (1878–94), mostly with the New York Giants, he led an unsuccessful effort to repeal baseball's reserve clause, which bound a player to a team through a self-renewing contract. After retiring from baseball, he became an attorney and frequently represented players in their grievances against major league baseball. He was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1964.

John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925) was a 19th century Major League Baseball star pitcher, shortstop and manager. Ward was a pitcher and outfielder for his first 7 seasons and then played 11 years as a shortstop and second baseman. Ward together with Ned Hanlon formed the first baseball players union, The Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players in 1885, successfully challenging the player reserve clause. He also was one of the leads in forming a new baseball league - the Players League - which lasted one year.

Born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, Ward entered the National League with the Providence Grays in 1878 and played that season exclusively as a pitcher, going 22-13 with 1.51 ERA. Over the following two seasons, while seeing increasing time in the outfield and at third base, Ward had his two finest seasons as a pitcher, going 47-19 with 239 strikeouts and a 2.15 ERA in 1879 and 39-24 with 230 strikeouts and a 1.74 ERA in 1880.

Ward moved to the New York Gothams (renamed the Giants in 1885) in 1883, completed his transition from a pitcher to an everyday player in 1884, and became the every day shortstop in 1885. Ward played for the Brooklyn Ward's Wonders in 1890 in the short-lived Players League before returning to the National League to play for the Brooklyn Grooms in 1891 and 1892. Ward finished his career after playing the 1893 and 1894 seasons with the New York Giants. One interesting fact of Ward's career was he pitched the second perfect game in baseball history, both occurring within a six day period.

Ward also managed parts of seven seasons (1880, 1884, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894), accumulating 412 wins and 320 losses for a .563 winning percentage.

John Montgomery Ward died the day following his 65th birthday on March 4, 1925 and is interred in Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale, Long Island, New York.