Carroll, Charles, 1737-1832

Signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Signer of the Declar. of Independence.

Signer of the Declaration of Independence, Carrollton, Maryland.

At this time, Charles Carroll of Carrollton had retired from the Maryland Senate to private life. Virgil Maxey was a Maryland statesman.

Declaration of Independence signer from Maryland.

Charles Carroll was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a United States Senator from Maryland.

Born in Annapolis, MD in 1737, Carroll was the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Brooke) Carroll. His early education was at the Society of Jesus School in Bohemia Manor, MD. Later, he attended College de St. Omer in French Flanders and College de Louis le Grand in Paris where he studied law. After leaving Paris in 1757, Carroll travelled to London where he remained until his return to Maryland in 1765 to manage his father's large estate in Frederick County. In 1768, he married his cousin, Mary Darnall.

Carroll did not become active in politics until 1773, but by 1774 he was a member of the Maryland Delegation. He became a member of the Continental Congress in 1776 whereupon he immediately signed the.

Declaration of Independence. In 1789 he was elected as a senator representing Maryland at the first Federal Congress. Carroll was also instrumental in drawing up the constitution for the state of Maryland. After his retirement in 1800, he served on the board of directors for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. Upon his death in 1832, Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence and was said to be the wealthiest man in America.