Alfred Decatur Ward was born in Wallace (Duplin County), North Carolina on December 25, 1859. Ward was an attorney who served as mayor of Kenansville, as a member of the state house (1893-1895), and as a member of the state senate (1913-1915 & 1915-1917). He died in New Bern (Craven County) on April 16, 1940.