Leonard Calvert

Leonard Calvert, second son of George Calvert, first Baron of Baltimore, and Anne, his wife, led the first colonists to Maryland from November 22, 1633, to March 3, 1634, founded St. Mary’s on March 27, 1634, and died on June 9, 1647. As Maryland’s first governor, by his wisdom, justice, and fidelity he fostered the infancy of the colony, guided it through great perils, and left it at peace. On the site of the Old Mulberry Tree, where the first colonists assembled to establish a government in which the persecuted and oppressed of every creed and every clime might live in peace and security, worship their common God, and enjoy civil and religious liberty, later generations recorded their grateful recognition of his virtues.

Maryland · United States