Samuel Ward was born on December 28, 1847 in Newark, New Jersey. Ward studied music in New York and became an organist at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark in 1880.
He is remembered for his hymn "Materna" (1882) which was used for the anthem "America the Beautiful", with words by Katharine Lee Bates.
Samuel Augustus Ward died on September 28, 1903 in Newark, New Jersey.