A painting of George Calvert from circa 1630, painted by Daniel Mytens the Elder.
George Calvert, First Lord Baltimore (c. 1580-1632)
George Calvert was the first person to dream of a colony in the New World where Catholics and Protestants could prosper together. He was born in Yorkshire, England, and studied at Trinity College at Oxford. Sir Robert Cecil, who worked for King James I, hired Calvert to be his Secretary of State. Calvert loved his job and was very good at it. Sir Robert trusted Calvert as a good advisor. Because of his good work, in 1617 King James I rewarded Calvert with the title of “Knight” for good service and offered Calvert the opportunity to work for him. Calvert became Sir George Calvert, Secretary of State for King James I.
By the time King James I died and his son Charles I ruled England, Calvert had distinguished himself as a statesman and loyal subject. Calvert served several terms as a member of Parliament. King James I and later his son King Charles I gave Calvert lands in Ireland and monetary grants. Yet, Calvert had a problem: he had become a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics were not permitted to work in high offices for the King of England or to work as Ministers of Parliament. Calvert knew he would eventually have to tell the king about his conversion.
In 1625, Calvert announced to James I that he had become a Catholic, and, as a result, had to resign his position. King James I, however, was fond of Calvert, so he granted him the title First Baron of Baltimore, named after the town of Baltimore on the southern coast of Ireland. Now that Calvert had both money and lands, he could support himself and his family. He was excited about exploring the New World. He wanted to help create English colonies in America, so he invested money in both the New England and Virginia companies. In 1620, Calvert bought land on the coast of Newfoundland, now a part of eastern Canada.
Calvert sent Captain Edward Wynne to Newfoundland to lead a group of settlers and to serve as their governor. Calvert soon received permission from King James I to establish a larger colony called the Province of Avalon in Newfoundland. Calvert voyaged to Avalon and lived there for two years from the summer of 1627 to early 1629. However, Newfoundland’s climate was cold, and the English settlers struggled to survive there.
Calvert asked the king for a grant of land further south near the Chesapeake Bay. He drew a map showing a territory that he wanted just north of the colony of Virginia. He hoped that this territory would have warmer weather and therefore be more suitable for an English colony. George Calvert died in 1632, before Charles I had time to approve the charter for Calvert’s colony, named Maryland (“Terra Mariae”). Calvert’s eldest son, Cecil, the Second Lord Baltimore, helped to bring his father’s dream colony to life. Another son, Leonard, became Maryland’s first governor.
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