Joshua John Ward

Joshua John Ward, of Georgetown County, South Carolina, is known as the American who was the largest slaveholder at the time of his death in 1853, dubbed "the king of the rice planters".

In 1850, Ward owned 1,092 enslaved people; In 1860, Ward's heirs (his estate) inherited 1,130 or 1,131 slaves.

The Brookgreen Plantation, where Ward was born and later lived, has been preserved. In 1992, it was designated a National Historic Landmark District. The house and plantation are part of a nature and sculpture garden, Brookgreen Gardens.