George Colton (October 31, 1817 – May 4, 1898) was an American politician, printer and newspaperman. He served as member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

, representing

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

's 2nd district, from 1868 to 1872 and 1888 to 1892. Colton served as president of the Baltimore Board of Police Commissioners. He owned and operated both the ''Maryland Republican'' in the 1860s and the ''

Baltimore Gazette The ''Baltimore Gazette'', also known as the ''Baltimore Daily Gazette'' and ''The Gazette'', was a daily newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland between 1862 and 1875. It broke some high-profile stories including the fact that The Turk, all ...

'' in the 1880s.

Early life

George Colton was born on October 31, 1817, in

Portsmouth, England Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...

to Elizabeth (née Moore) and John Colton. His father was a soldier of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. In 1819, the family emigrated to the United States and settled in

Leonardtown, Maryland Leonardtown is a town in and the county seat of St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,563 at the 2020 census. Leonardtown is perhaps most famous for the national oyster-shucking championship that is held annually at the ...

. Colton lost his father at the age of thirteen and was apprenticed as a tailor though had an affinity to reading and was knowledgeable on English literature.

Career

After serving as an apprentice, Colton opened a tailor shop at Leonardtown. He then opened a shop at

West River, Maryland West River is an unincorporated community in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. Notable person *Joseph Galloway, First Continental Congressman *Gerri Whittington, First African-American secretary in the White House The Whit ...

. After not finding success, Colton opened a general store. In 1847, his store burned down and he was in debt. He spent the next fourteen years, until 1861, paying off the debts to creditors he owed. In 1852, President

Polk Polk may refer to: People * James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States * Polk (name), other people with the name Places *Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois * Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Polk, Missouri ...

appointed Colton as postmaster of West River. In the same year, he left and started to work at a state tobacco warehouse in

. He worked there until 1859. From 1860 to 1861, Colton worked as a purveyor at the almshouse but was removed due to his "rebel proclivities". Colton was 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 (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. Colton served in the

, representing district 2 (the nineteenth ward) of Baltimore, from 1868 to 1872. During his four years, he served as chairman of the committee on claims. From 1873 to 1875, Colton worked as a director of the

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, wh ...

and the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. From 1874 to 1880, Colton held the office of state printer. Colton was appointed as a police commissioner of the

Baltimore Police Department The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) is the municipal police department of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Dating back to 1784, the BPD, consisting of 2,935 employees in 2020, is organized into nine districts covering of land and of waterway ...

on March 15, 1881. He remained in office until March 15, 1887, when his term expired. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates, representing District 2 (the ninth ward) of Baltimore, from 1888 to 1892. In 1890, he served as chairman of the committee on corporations. Colton was associated with the Gorman–Rasin political organization of Baltimore, run by

Arthur Pue Gorman Arthur Pue Gorman (March 11, 1839June 4, 1906) was an American politician. He was leader of the Gorman-Rasin organization with Isaac Freeman Rasin that controlled the Maryland Democratic Party from the late 1870s until his death in 1906. Gorman ...

and

Isaac Freeman Rasin Isaac Freeman Rasin (March 11, 1833 – March 9, 1907) was an American political boss in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. He helped run the Gorman–Rasin organization with Arthur Pue Gorman, which influenced Baltimore politics in the 1870s and 1 ...

. In 1865, Colton purchased an Annapolis newspaper, the ''Maryland Republican''. He worked on the paper with his son Luther. Colton sold the ''Maryland Republican'' after the death of his son Luther in 1866. On May 1, 1881, Colton became proprietor of the ''

'' and purchased the paper from William H. Welsh. After three or four years, he sold the ''Baltimore Gazette''. Colton wrote ''A Maryland Editor Abroad'' after his travels to Europe in 1880. In 1892, Colton actively campaigned for Frank Brown for Maryland governor. After Brown's election, he was appointed a liquor license commissioner in Baltimore. He remained in that role until 1896. Towards the end of his life, Colton owned a poultry farm in

Jessup, Maryland Jessup ( ) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Howard and Anne Arundel counties, about southwest of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,535. Geography Jessup is located at (3 ...

, where he had a collection of

fowl Fowl are birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl (Galliformes) and the waterfowl (Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are close evolutionary relatives; together ...

s. He also served as president of the Maryland Poultry Association.

Personal life

Colton was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

. He went by the nickname "Uncle George". Colton married Lydia Jane Hamilton on September 25, 1842. They had five children: Wesley, Luther F., Hannah Moore, George Moore and Carrie Lee. Colton suffered from vision loss and had surgery on his left eye. In December 1895, Colton took ill with

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and afterward became temporarily blind. Colton died on May 4, 1898, at his home at 2027 North Charles Street in Baltimore. He was buried at

Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as many ...

in Baltimore.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Colton, George 1817 births 1898 deaths People from Portsmouth (district) English emigrants to the United States American tailors Maryland postmasters Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Presidents of the Baltimore Board of Police Commissioners 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American printers Farmers from Maryland Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church