Partner Richard Ham

Queer Places:
Black Hills National Cemetery Sturgis, Meade County, South Dakota, USA

Frederick Searle Alward (November 21, 1889 – June 25, 1987) was born in Australia on November 21, 1893. He was to son of John Alward (1863-1944) and Alice Maud Mary Lumley (1864-1930). He moved in the United States in 1908, eventually gaining citizenship and serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. A lawyer, he resided in several western states. In 1926 Alward moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, because a friend told him that ''a big dam" was going to be built near there. The city soon began to grow and Alward played a key role in its development. He was believed to be the first attorney from Las Vegas admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Alward was elected to the Nevada Assembly as a Democrat from Clark County in 1930. He served two consecutive terms and was named speaker for the 1933 session. The sponsor of a measure to double Clark County's allotment in the Assembly, Alward supported the bill that led to legalized gambling in the state. In 1934 he successfully ran for lieutenant governor of Nevada becoming the first person from Las Vegas elected to statewide office.

Richard Ham was Alward’s lover in the 1930s. He lived in Boulder City where his parents owned a grocery store. They owned a small house with a little casita in the back. He died in his 80s. Fred Alward, on the verge of a successful run for governor in 1938, was blackmailed by a political rival, lost both his political and professional careers. He also became involved in damaging feuds with other legislative leaders.

Returning to his law practice in 1938, Alward bought a hotel in 1941. Eventually he became a rancher in Kennebec, South Dakota, and owned a cattle business in Florida. Alward later moved to Hot Springs, South Dakota.

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