Joshua John Ward

Joshua John Ward, of Georgetown County, South Carolina, is known as the largest American slaveholder, dubbed "the king of the rice planters".

In 1850 he held 1,092 slaves; Ward was the largest slaveholder in the United States before his death in 1853. In 1860 his heirs (his estate) held 1,130 or 1,131 slaves.

The Brookgreen Plantation, where he was born and later lived, has been preserved. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark District in 1992. The house and plantation are now part of a park called Brookgreen Gardens.