Charles carroll of carrollton biography samples

Charles Carroll was an American politician, a delegate to the second Continental Congress, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

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Charles was born on September 19, 1737 in Annapolis, Maryland. As a child, Charles studied at Bohemia Manor preparatory school. In 1748, he was sent to France to continue his schooling, moving on to college there as well. Charles graduated from Lycée Louis-le-Grand, after attending the College of St. Omer, in 1755. He then studied for law in Europe, before he returned to the colonies in 1765.

There is a surviving tale of Charles Carroll that, while likely untrue, gives an idea to his character and bravery. Signing the Declaration of Independence was a risky thing to do, and automatically would have told King George III who the main troublemakers were. Some with uncommon names, (Button Gwinnett, for example, had no hope of escaping notice. Others, like James Smith, could hide behind their relatively common names.

According to the story, Charles Carroll signed the Declaration, and several members of Congress commented that he had very little risk in signing since he could remain relatively anonymous. At these statements, Charles stood back up and added “of Carrollton” to the end of his signature, which left no doubt of who he was and silenced his critics.

However, early documents show that Charles had been signing his name like that for years before Congress, so this story is likely a myth.

On June 5, 1768, Charles married Mary Darnall. They had 7 children before Mary died in 1782. Upon returning to Maryland, Charles’ father gave the couple a plot of land, Carrollton, to start a plantation. It was not long before Charles Carroll had become one of the wealthiest men in the colony. Because he was a Roman Catholic, he was prohibited from entering politics, voting, or practicing the law.

Around 1772, Charles became very interested in the the growing political u

MEMOIR OF CHARLES CARROLL. OF CARROLLTON.

From the Metropolitan Magazine

The name of Carroll is justly celebrated in the Catholic history of our country. In the annals of the Church and of the State it stands equally eminent. Indeed it may well be said, that there are but few names in American history more truly illustrious than that of the subject of this memoir, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, who was at once the obedient child of the Church and the intrepid champion of liberty.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton the son of Charles Carroll and Elizabeth Brooks, and was born at Annapolis on the eighth of September, O. S., (twentieth of September, N. S.) Ilis grandfather was Charles Carroll, son of Daniel Carroll, a native of Littamourna, King’s county, Ireland, of the Inner Temple, and a clerk in the office of LordPowis, in the reign of James 11. Charles Carroll, the grandfather, came to ! America with a view of bettering his fortune, about the year 1680. Through the friendly I intervention of Lord Powis he was selected in j 1691 to succeed Col. Henry Darnall as judge ; and register of the land office, and as the agent and receiver of rents for Lord Baltimore, in the province of Maryland. He took an active part j in the public transactions of the times, was an influential person in the administration of provincial affairs; and in 1718 was one of those who were by name exempted from the disqual- ' iflcations imposed upon Catholics by the penal j code of Maryland. Charles Carroll, the father 1 of the signer, was born in 1702, and inherited i with a large fortune, the energy, the virtues, j and the firm faith of his father. He also was a prominent and active man in the colonial affairs ; of Maryland. The Catholics and Protestants j in the province were about this time equally | divided in numbers, and the contests,in which the latter had rested by force from the former the location of the seat of government and the control of the affairs of the provincial government,

Charles Carroll of Carrollton: American Revolutionary By Father Charles P. Connor

EWTN Publishing, 2024

222 pages; $ 21.95

To order:  EWTNRC.com or (800) 854-6316

Charles Carroll, an American patriot and the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence, lived two-plus centuries ago, but his legacy comes to life — and lasting importance — in a fascinating new book, Charles Carroll of Carrollton: American Revolutionary, by Father Charles P. Connor, a familiar face to the EWTN audience.

When it comes to showing where we were and where we need to get back to as a country, Carroll’s 200-year-old story becomes as contemporary as today.

This is an impeccably researched and fascinating biography that follows the faith and fortunes of Carroll. Recounting not only the history of Carroll, the book enlightens readers about the times in which this great patriot and Catholic lived and influenced.

Father Connor illuminates the “tremendous difficulties under which Catholics in both England and the American colonies had to operate … at that time” because of the “scores of pieces of anti-Catholic legislation.” They were all but excluded from political office. Then came Charles Carroll of Carrollton, known as such to distinguish him from his father and grandfather, both also named Charles Carroll.

When Carroll of Carrollton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was not only the lone Catholic to do so, but being the richest man in the colonies, he was putting his entire fortune on the line along with his life.

Something far greater weaves through the story and completes a vivid tapestry throughout: Carroll “clung tenaciously to the faith of his forebears his entire life.”

Jesuit-educational Carroll was sent abroad to study in Rheims, Paris and England. After “seventeen years of study, enculturation, and growth in his Catholic Faith, Charles Carroll arrived back in his

American Founding Father, politician, and planter (1737–1832)

Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III, was an American politician, planter, and signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration and the longest surviving, dying 56 years after its signing.

Considered one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Carroll was known contemporaneously as the "First Citizen" of the American colonies, a consequence of signing articles in the Maryland Gazette with that pen name. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress. Carroll later served as the first United States Senator for Maryland. Of all of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Carroll was one of the wealthiest and most formally educated. A product of his 17-year Jesuit education in France, Carroll spoke five languages fluently.

Born in Annapolis, Maryland, Carroll inherited vast agricultural estates and was regarded as the wealthiest man in the American colonies when the American Revolution commenced in 1775. His personal fortune at this time was reputed to be 2,100,000 pounds sterling, the equivalent to £338,402,985 in 2023 (US$375 million). In addition, Carroll presided over his manor in Maryland, a 10,000-acre estate, and claimed as his property approximately 300 slaves. Though barred from holding office in Maryland because of his religion, Carroll emerged as a leader of the state's movement for independence. He was a delegate to the Annapolis Convention and was selected as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was part of an unsuccessful diplomatic mission, which also included Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase, that Congress sent to Quebec in hopes of winning the support of French Canadians.

Carroll served in the Ma