John Montgomery Ward was a well educated, respected star of early baseball. Ward was a graduate of Pennsylvania State University and Columbia Law School. In the off-season, he practiced law in New York City, and during the summer months he starred as the premier second "sacker" of the New York Giants. Ward was the captain of the New York Giants, and he held a celebrity status. He married a popular Broadway actress, Helen Dauvray. The rocky marriage lasted only two years, and the divorce was more sensational than the marriage.

Ward was a prodigious writer and always interested in labor matters. His collection of essays on government and labor relations, "The Ball Player, Is He Chattel?," appeared in many popular magzines of the day. John Ward developed a reputation as a leader and in 1887 he founded the Brotherhood of Professional Base Ball Players.

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