Virgil Maxcy (May 5, 1785 – February 28, 1844) was an American political figure. He was born in

Attleboro, Massachusetts Attleboro is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It was once known as "The Jewelry Capital of the World" for its many jewelry manufacturers. According to the 2020 census, Attleboro had a population of 46,461. Attleboro is ...

, and spent his adult years in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He was killed in 1844 in a shipboard accident, when a

cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during th ...

exploded aboard .

Early life

The younger brother of

Jonathan Maxcy Jonathan Maxcy (September 2, 1768 – June 4, 1820) was an American Baptist minister and college president. He was the second president of Brown University (then known as the ''College in the English Colony of Rhode Island & Providence Plantati ...

, Virgil Maxcy was born in

, on May 5, 1785. He graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1804, studied law with

Robert Goodloe Harper Robert Goodloe Harper (January 1765January 14, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He was a member of the United States Senate from Maryland, serving from January 1816 until his resignation in December of the same year. He also served ...

, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and became an attorney in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

Author

In 1811 Maxcy authored ''The Laws of Maryland from 1692 to 1809'', a multi-volume work that compiled Maryland's

statute A statute is a law or formal written enactment of a legislature. Statutes typically declare, command or prohibit something. Statutes are distinguished from court law and unwritten law (also known as common law) in that they are the expressed wil ...

s, declaration of independence, constitution and amendments. Maxcy also prepared and distributed ''The Maryland resolutions, and the objections to them considered'' (1822), which argued against proposals to appropriate public land for the building of schools and other purposes. In 1833 he delivered ''A discourse before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Brown University'', a lecture that was published as a

pamphlet A pamphlet is an unbound book (that is, without a Hardcover, hard cover or Bookbinding, binding). Pamphlets may consist of a single sheet of paper that is printed on both sides and folded in half, in thirds, or in fourths, called a ''leaflet'' ...

Political career

Originally a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

, Maxcy served on Maryland's Executive Council in 1815 and served terms in the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

(1817–1821) and the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

(1824–1825). Maxcy later became a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and supported

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

for President in 1824 and 1828. When Jackson won the 1828 election, Maxcy's friend

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist who served as the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. Born in South Carolina, he adamantly defended American s ...

attempted to have him appointed as

Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as the custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage pr ...

, but Jackson and

Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

Samuel D. Ingham decided for political reasons to offer the position to John Campbell. Instead, Maxcy received appointment as Solicitor of the Treasury, where he served from 1830 to 1837. Maxcy was active in the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the repatriation of freeborn peop ...

(ACS), and in 1837 was one of the incorporators who successfully petitioned to change the organization's name; it had previously been known as the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America. Also in 1837, President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as Attorney General o ...

named William Haywood as US

Chargé d'Affaires A (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is Frenc ...

in Belgium. Haywood declined the appointment, and Van Buren then named Maxcy, who served until 1842. In February 1844, Maxcy was considered for the position of

Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On March 25, 2025, John Phelan was confirm ...

, but President Tyler appointed

Thomas Walker Gilmer Thomas Walker Gilmer (April 6, 1802 – February 28, 1844) was an American statesman. He served in several political positions in Virginia, including election as the 28th Governor of Virginia. Gilmer's final political office was as the 15th Secre ...

instead. Gilmer was killed in the same accident that killed Maxcy.

Death and burial

Maxcy died near

Fort Washington, Maryland Fort Washington is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. It borders the Potomac River, situated 20 miles south of downtown Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 census, it had a popul ...

, on February 28, 1844, as a result of the explosion on board , which also killed five others, including two members of President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...

's cabinet. Maxcy was struck by metal shards from the "Peacemaker" cannon, a large

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

piece made by the Hogg & Delamater Ironworks which was being fired as part of a demonstration for visiting dignitaries. According to published accounts, Maxcy lost both arms and a leg in the explosion and was killed instantly. Maxcy was originally entombed at

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street in Washington, D.C., in the Hill East neighborhood on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American ...

in Washington, D.C. He was later reinterred at

Tulip Hill Tulip Hill is a plantation house located about one mile from Galesville in Anne Arundel County in the Province of Maryland. Built between 1755 and 1756, it is a particularly fine example of an early Georgian mansion, and was designated a Nat ...

, a large estate near

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, that was owned by his wife's family.

Personal life

Virgil Maxcy was married to Mary Galloway, a member of one of Maryland's most prominent plantation owning families. He was thus a wealthy man, with most of his fortune consisting of slaves and land. The children of Virgil and Mary Galloway Maxcy included Ann (1813–1891), Mary (1812–1878), Cornelia (1815–1823), and Juliana (1816–1818). Ann Maxcy was the wife of

George Wurtz Hughes George Wurtz Hughes (September 30, 1806 – September 3, 1870) was a U.S. Representative from the 6th Congressional district of Maryland. Born in Elmira, New York, Hughes received a liberal schooling. He attended the United States Militar ...

, who served as a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Maryland. Mary Maxcy married Francis Markoe (1801–1872) in 1834. Their children included Francis Markoe (1840–1914), who married Maria Perry Thomas of Talbot County, Maryland and Emilie Maxcy Markoe (1852–1925), who married D. C. F. Rivinus. Maxcy was a longtime friend of

. They exchanged frequent letters, many of which have been published.

Legacy

He was the subject of a biography, 1981's ''A Federalist Converted: The Life of Virgil Maxcy of Maryland, 1785-1844'', by Michael Cullen Reis. Maxcy is a prominent figure in academic discussions about same-sex intimate relationships in the United States during the early 1800s, which results from a letter he sent to a friend. In the letter to William Blanding of

Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many ...

, Maxcy reminisces about sharing a bed with Blanding, including the line "Sometimes I think I have got hold of your doodle when in reality I have hold of the bedpost."

References

External links

Find A Grave page
Virgil Maxcy, accessed April 2, 2011.

Virgil Maxcy, accessed April 2, 2011.

by Margaret Tearman, Bay Weekly, Volume 15, Issue 29 ~ July 19–25, 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Maxcy, Virgil 1785 births 1844 deaths American slave owners Brown University alumni People from Attleboro, Massachusetts Politicians from Bristol County, Massachusetts Politicians from Annapolis, Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland state senators Maryland lawyers United States Department of the Treasury officials 19th-century American diplomats Accidental deaths in Virginia Deaths by explosive device John Tyler 19th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly