Hon. Phillip Calvert (c. 1626 - c. December 22, 1682), also known as Hon. Philip Calvert, was the fifth
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of
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 ...
during a brief period in 1660 or 1661. He was appointed by the royally chartered proprietor of Maryland,
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore (1637–1715), as a caretaker to replace
Lt. Gen Josias Fendall (1628–1682), the fifth/sixth? provincial
governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
.
Life
Calvert came to Maryland on the first expedition under first colonial governor
Leonard Calvert
Leonard Calvert ( – ) was the first Lord proprietor, proprietary governor of the Province of Maryland. He was the second son of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, The 1st Baron Baltimore (1579–1632), the first proprietor of Maryland. His e ...
(1606–1647), younger brother of the second Lord Baltimore
Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675). In 1656, he was made secretary of the Province and one of its Councillors. After the treason and overthrow of Governor Fendall, Calvert became governor in 1660, and displayed clemency in pardoning Fendall.
In 1661,
Capt. Charles Calvert (1688–1734), illegitimate son of the
Proprietor
Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as ''title'', which may be separated and held by diffe ...
, was made Governor, and Philip was appointed Deputy-Lieutenant and Councillor of the Province. After this, he negotiated a treaty with the Dutch in which they agreed to abandon the disputed territory on the
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...
. He was one of a committee which negotiated a treaty with the Indians, and of another commission which settled with the Virginia authorities a boundary line between Maryland and Virginia along the south shore of the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...
.
Family
He was son of
George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore (1579–1632), and his second wife, Joane.
Calvert was married to Anne Wolsely Calvert. She died in 1680. He remarried to Jane Sewell Calvert, the step-daughter of his nephew
Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore. In 1682, Jane gave birth to a child of unknown name and gender. Philip Calvert and the infant both died in 1682. In 1990, the bodies of Phillip Calvert, Anne Wolsely Calvert, and the infant were found in lead coffins in a brick vault located in the ruins of a brick chapel in the "Chapel Field" in St. Mary's City, Maryland, the former colonial capital. Examination of these remains provided scientists and historians with significant insight regarding life in 17th century Maryland. DNA analysis in 2016 showed the male adult and the infant have a father-son relationship, verifying the infant as a child of Phillip Calvert.
The baby is assessed to have died about three months after his father, in the spring of 1683, judging by the
pine and oak pollen in the coffin.
See also
*
List of colonial governors of Maryland
Maryland began as a Province of Maryland, proprietary colony of the Catholic Church, Catholic Baron Baltimore, Calvert family, the Baron Baltimore, Lords Baltimore under a royal charter, and its first eight governors were appointed by them. When th ...
References
External links
Calvert Family Tree(accessed 10 Jul 2013)
1620s births
1682 deaths
17th-century American politicians
Colonial governors of Maryland
Phillip Calvert
Younger sons of barons
{{Maryland-politician-stub