Hugh Ward

Hugh Joseph Ward

• Born June 24, 1871 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died April 21, 1941 in Potts Point, New South Wales Australia

Biographical Information

Hugh Ward was a Broadway actor and producer who later became an important figure on the theatre scene in Australia. He is also a footnote in baseball history, as he was the financial partner of Harry Frazee, a fellow Broadway producer, when he bought the Boston Red Sox on November 1, 1916. It is not clear how much money he contributed in the deal, and he was never involved in the running of the club, to the point that most biographical sketches about him or the obituaries published upon his death omit his role completely.

He was born in Philadelphia, PA, and was part of an American touring company that drew rave reviews for an 1899 tour of Australia. He returned to the southern continent on a number of occasions after that and founded a touring company that also played in India. He also found success on Broadway, first as an actor and later as a producer, which is how he met Frazee and became his associate.

In 1922, he re-settled permanently in Australia and became a citizen. He was a prominent theatre producer there and kept a significant public profile even after retiring in 1926. He was very active in organizing aid for Belgium during World War I and after the conflict was decorated by King Leopold II for his work.