Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore
Cecil Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (8 August 1605 – 30 November 1675) was an English politician, peer and lawyer who was the first proprietor of Maryland. Born in Kent in 1605, he inherited the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, for whom it had been intended. Calvert proceeded to establish and manage the Province of Maryland as a proprietary colony for English Catholics from his English country house of Kiplin Hall in North Yorkshire.
The Right Honourable The Lord Baltimore | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Gerard Soest, c. 1670. | |
| Governor of Newfoundland (Avalon) | |
| In office 1629–1632 | |
| Monarch | Charles I |
| Proprietor of the Maryland colony | |
| In office 1632–1675 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 August 1605 Kent, England |
| Died | 30 November 1675 (aged 70) Middlesex, England |
| Spouse | Anne Arundell |
| Children | 9, including The 3rd Baron Baltimore |
| Parent(s) | George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore Anne Mynne |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Lawyer Politician |
As a Catholic, he continued his father's legacy by promoting religious tolerance in the colony. He also was involved in the establishment of the Newfoundland Colony and the Province of Avalon. Maryland quickly became a haven for English Catholics in the Americas, particularly due to rising religious persecution in England. Governing Maryland's affairs for forty-four years, Calvert died in England in 1675. After his death, the Protestant Revolution of 1689 overturned Catholic control of the colony and established Protestant supremacy.