Charles Goldsborough (July 15, 1765 – December 13, 1834) served as the 16th Governor of the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

in the United States in 1819.

Early life

Goldsborough was born at "Hunting Creek", near

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Dorchester County, Maryland Dorchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. At the 2020 census, the population was 32,531. Its county seat is Cambridge. The county was formed in 1669 and named for the Earl of Dorset, a family friend of the Calverts ( ...

, and pursued an academic course. He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

in 1784 and began to study law.

Personal life

His daughter Maria married Virginia planter and politician William Henry Fitzhugh, son of patriot and planter William Fitzhugh.

Career

In 1790, he was admitted to the bar, and early on held several local political offices. He was also a member of the

Maryland State 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-m ...

from 1791 to 1795 and later from 1799 to 1801. Goldsborough was elected as 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 called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

to the Ninth and to the five succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1805 to March 3, 1817. In 1814 he was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society i ...

.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
/ref> He later served as

Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

in 1819. In 1820, he retired from public life and moved to his estate near Cambridge.

Death and legacy

Goldsborough died at "Shoal Creek" near Cambridge, and is interred there at Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery. Charles Goldsborough was the great-grandfather of

Thomas Alan Goldsborough Thomas Alan Goldsborough (September 16, 1877 – June 16, 1951) was a United States representative from Maryland and a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Ed ...

and Winder Laird Henry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldsborough, Charles 1765 births 1834 deaths Governors of Maryland People from Dorchester County, Maryland University of Pennsylvania alumni Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Federalist Party state governors of the United States Members of the American Antiquarian Society People of colonial Maryland Burials in Maryland Goldsborough family