Henry Vanderford (December 23, 1811 – January 27, 1894) was an American politician and newspaperman from Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Carroll County from 1874 to 1876, and served in the Maryland Senate from 1880 to 1884.

Early life

Henry Vanderford was born on December 23, 1811, in Hillsborough, Caroline County, Maryland, to Elizabeth (née Frampton) and William Vanderford. His father was of

Queen Anne's County Queen Anne's County is located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville i ...

where the Vanderford family owned of land. He studied at Hillsborough Academy and moved to Talbot County with his family and attended school there. In 1825, he entered the office of Thomas Perrin Smith of the ''Easton Star''. He studied the printing business and later joined the ''Easton Whig''.

Career

In 1835, Vanderford purchased the ''Caroline Advocate'' in Denton. He continued publishing the paper until 1837, when he moved the business to Centreville and published the ''Centreville Sentinel'' in January 1838. In 1842, he sold the ''Centreville Sentinel'' and moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

. In 1845, he published a weekly literary and educational paper called ''The Ray''. In 1846, he published the Democratic papers ''Baltimore Daily News'' and the ''Weekly Statesman'' under the firm Adams, Vanderford & Brown. He was appointed by Governor

William Grason William Grason (March 11, 1788July 2, 1868) served as the 25th Governor of the state of Maryland in the United States from 1839 to 1842. Grason also served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from 1828 to 1829, and as a member of the ...

as chief judge of the magistrate's court, but he declined each appointment. In 1840, he was appointed as deputy marshal for

and acted as the census taker. In February 1848, he bought the ''Cecil Democrat'' in Elkton from Thomas M. Coleman. The paper opposed succession, but also the Abraham Lincoln administration. He expanded the paper and quadrupled its circulation. He managed the paper for 17 years. In 1865, he sold the paper to Albert Constable and Frederick Stump. He retired to a farm on the Patuxent River in

St. Mary's County St. Mary's County may refer to: * St. Mary's County, Maryland *St. Mary's County, Utah Territory There are 29 counties in the U.S. state of Utah. There were originally seven counties established under the provisional State of Deseret in 1849: ...

for three years. In 1868, Vanderford founded the ''Middletown Transcript'' in Middletown, Delaware, and acted as publisher and printer. In 1870, he transferred the paper to his son Charles H. In November 1870, he moved to Westminster, Maryland, and became the principal editor of ''

The Democratic Advocate ''The Democratic Advocate'' was a semiweekly newspaper published from November 30, 1865 to 1968 in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland. Shortly after its predecessor, the '' Western Maryland Democrat'', ceased publication due to violence from an ...

'' alongside his son William H. He remained in that role until 1880. Vanderford 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 ...

. He was active in the reform movement in 1836. He served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Carroll County from 1874 to 1876. He also served in the Maryland Senate, representing Carroll County from 1880 to 1884. He was chairman of the committee on finance and a member of the committee on engrossed bills and the committee on printing.

Personal life

Vanderford married Angelina Vanderford, daughter of Henry Vanderford of Queen Anne's County and a distant relative, on June 6, 1839. They had twelve children, including William H., Charles H. and Julian J. His wife died in 1889. He was a Mason. He was a vestryman and member of the Ascension Protestant Episcopal Church. Vanderford died on January 27, 1894, at his home in Westminster. He was buried at the Ascension Protestant Episcopal Church in Westminster.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanderford, Henry 1811 births 1894 deaths People from Denton, Maryland People from Talbot County, Maryland People from Queen Anne's County, Maryland People from Elkton, Maryland People from Baltimore People from St. Mary's County, Maryland People from Westminster, Maryland People from Middletown, Delaware Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Democratic Party Maryland state senators Editors of Maryland newspapers 19th-century American farmers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) 19th-century American politicians