Norman McQueen Ward was born in Hamilton, Ontario on May 10, 1918 to Arthur and Rachel (McQueen) Ward. He attended Hamilton Central Collegiate Institute and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University in 1941. He obtained Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Toronto in 1943 and 1949 respectively.
Around 1945, Ward was employed as an instructor in the Department of Economics and Political Science at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. He became a professor in 1955 and remained on the faculty until his retirement in 1985. In 1967, Ward was named Britnell Professor, a designation assigned to senior members of the department for their distinguished service. Ward was a Maurice Cody Research Fellow at the University of Toronto (1947-1948) and the Skelton-Clark Fellow at Queen's University (1958-1959).
During his professional career, Ward also served on numerous federal and provincial committees, commissions and task forces, including the Electoral Boundaries Commission for Saskatchewan (1964-1966) and the Canada Council (1974-1980). He was a trustee for the Mendel Art Gallery (1979-1986) and the Forum for Young Canadians and was chairman of the Saskatchewan Archives Board (1982-1985). Ward served on the National Advisory Board for "The Canadian Encyclopedia" in 1985. He died in Saskatoon on February 6, 1990.
Ward made a significant contribution to scholarly and humorous literature. Focusing on federal-provincial affairs and the House of Commons, Ward wrote numerous articles and books including "The Canadian House of Commons: Representation (1950)"; and "Public Purse: A Study in Canadian Democracy" (1962). He edited several editions of Robert MacGregor Dawson's "The Government of Canada" and "Democratic Government in Canada" by R.M. Dawson and W.F. Dawson. Ward edited "Politics in Saskatchewan" with Duff Spafford (1968) and "Bilingualism and Biculturalism in the Canadian House of Commons" with D. Hoffman (1968). Ward's humorous essays were published in three volumes: "Mice in the Beer" (1960); "The Fully Processed Cheese" (1964) and "Her Majesty's Mice" (1977). During his retirement, Ward researched and co-wrote a biography with David Smith entitled "Jimmy Gardiner: Relentless Liberal", which was published posthumously.
Ward was the recipient of many awards and honours, including the Leacock Medal for Humour for "Mice in the Beer" (1961). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1963); named an Officer of the Order of Canada (awarded in 1974; invested in 1976); and was awarded many honorary degrees from universities across Canada, including a posthumous honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan. The Dr. Norman Ward Memorial Scholarship in Political Science is offered annually by the University of Saskatchewan. The library of the Department of Political Studies at the U of S is also named in his honour.
Ward married Betty Edith Davis on September 11, 1943. The Wards had six children: Nora, Nancy, Norman, Donald, Colin and Michael.