Cecil (Cecilius) Calvert

The Second Lord Baltimore
(August 8, 1605 – Nov 30, 1675)

 

Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, was the first son and heir of George Calvert. He attended Trinity College, Oxford, and in 1628, married Ann Arundell (d. 1649). Cecil publicly became a Catholic after his father, George, announced his conversion. Cecil was only twenty-seven in 1632 when he received the charter for the Province of Maryland shortly after the death of his father. He inherited the title, Irish estates, and the 10-12 million acres of American land in what became Maryland from his father, and served as the designer and first Lord Proprietor of Maryland from 1632-1675.  Maryland was the first successful English proprietary colony which meant that an individual rather than a company owned the colony.

 

Cecil never journeyed to America, but he skillfully preserved his charter rights from enemies over the course of several decades, established Maryland on a sound and prosperous footing to the depletion of his personal fortune. Consistently and innovatively promoting religious toleration for all Christians living in his colony, Catholics were allowed to worship freely and Catholics and Protestants could participate equally in government.

His son, Charles (1637-1715), served as Governor of Maryland from 1661-1675 and as second Lord Proprietor and third Lord Baltimore from 1675 -1715.

 

Read about the Calvert vision here.