George Ward

George B. Ward (born March 1, 1867 in Atlanta, Georgia - died 1940) was the 13th Mayor of Birmingham and the owner of the Vestavia estate which gives Vestavia Hills its name.

Ward was born in Atlanta, but arrived in the new city of Birmingham shortly after its founding in 1871. His parents, George R. and Margaret Ward, operated the Relay House hotel along with his grandparents William and Jane Ketchum. Ward's mother hosted many social events at the hotel and was one of the founding members of the Episcopal Church of the Advent.

Ward attended the Powell School until he was sixteen and took a job as a runner for Charles Linn's National Bank of Birmingham. He narrowly missed a bullet fired into a mob rushing the Jefferson County Courthouse to lynch murderer Robert Hawes on December 8, 1888.

That same year, Ward enrolled in prep school at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee. When he returned to the bank he was promoted, eventually to the position of paying teller. In 1899 he campaigned successfully for a seat on the Birmingham Board of Aldermen, but resigned after a few months to manage a bank in Sheffield.

In 1900 Ward returned to the National Bank of Birmingham, leaving after a year's time to form a new investment company with John M. Caldwell. He ran again for the Board of Aldermen and was elected to a four-year term, representing Ward 2 of the city.

1st term as Mayor

Ward ran against incumbent William Drennen in the 1903 Birmingham mayoral election. He campagined for change and charged that Drennen was constructing a political machine using city employees and that the city was running deficits without performing needed services. He promised to make the city's finances sounder and more transparent. Drennen was re-elected in that race.

When Drennen retired, Ward once again ran for the office, this time against four opponents, of which the strongest was Drennen protege Charles S. Simmons. Ward won the most votes in the primary, but avoided a run-off when Simmons withdrew from the race. He was inaugurated on May 4, 1905 for a two-year term.

In the 1907 Birmingham mayoral election Ward faced off for the first time against Opera House owner Frank P. O'Brien. Although O'Brien promised to improve the undermanned Birmingham Police Department, Ward easily won re-election - in part by identifying O'Brien as a puppet of liquor and gambling interests.

Ward was known for his strict enforcement of saloon regulations, which he considered a better alternative than strict prohibition. Nevertheless, he became a leader in campaigning for the 1907 referendum which established local prohibition in Jefferson County. He sought constantly to improve the reputation of the city as lawless and intemperate. He worked to cultivate the city's revenue base, leaning on more lucrative short-term utility franchises, raising fees, and campaigning strongly for annexation. He guided the Greater Birmingham movement which redrew the city's boundaries to encompass 11.4 square miles, absorbing dozens of formerly unincorporated or independent communities.

Ward also codified and published the Birmingham Municipal Code for the first time, and mailed a copy of the city's sanitation laws to every household. He established the position of City Comptroller and reported the city's financial balance to the press each month and established several departments, including one responsible for building inspections. He also worked on public safety issues, enlarging the police department and upgrading firefighting equipment. He also invested in sewer construction and worked hard to help the Birmingham City Schools keep pace with the rapidly-growing student population.

Ward urged utilities to bury their services underground and instituted city-wide clean-up days to beautify downtown. He also oversaw an enormous expansion of dedicated public park land, including the purchase of 100 acres at Green Springs, which is now known as Goerge Ward Park. In order to encourage public use of the parks, he had signs warning people to "Keep Off the Grass" removed.

2nd term as Mayor

In 1910 Ward decided to run for Sheriff of Jefferson County, a more powerful position

In 1923 Ward purchased a 20-acre parcel of land on the ridge of Shades Mountain.

Preceded by: Mel Drennen	Mayor of Birmingham 1905–1908	Succeeded by: Frank P. O'Brien
Preceded by: Frank P. O'Brien	President of the Birmingham City Commission 1913–1917	Succeeded by: Culpepper Exum