The Province of Maryland began as a proprietary colony of the Catholic Calvert family, the Lords Baltimore under a royal charter, and its first eight governors were appointed by them. When the Catholic King of England, James II, was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution, the Calverts lost their charter and Maryland became a royal colony. It was governed briefly by local Protestants before the arrival of the first of 12 governors appointed directly by the English crown. The royal charter was restored to the Calverts in 1715 and governors were again appointed by the Calverts until the American Revolution.
Colonial period This list includes appointed governors, including those briefly appointed by the Cromwellian government, but excludes those who claimed themselves as governors of the colony without a formal appointment from London.
NumberNamePictureTook officeLeft officeProprietary governors1Leonard Calvert163416472Thomas Greene164716493William Stone1649March 28, 16524Rev. Robert Brook Sr.March 29, 1652July 3, 16525William StoneJuly 4, 165216566Lieutenant-General Josias Fendall165716607Phillip Calvert 166016608Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore166116769Jesse Wharton1676167610Thomas Notley1676167911Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore1679168412Benedict Calvert, 4th Baron BaltimoreWhile Benedict Leonard Calvert, son of the proprietor, was technically Governor from 1684–88, though he was only an infant at this time. The actual governance was done by the Governor's council.1684168813William Joseph16881689Leaders of the Protestant associators1John Coode168916902Nehemiah Blakiston16911692Royal governors1Sir Lionel Copley 169216932Sir Thomas Lawrence 169316943Sir Edmund Andros 169316934Colonel Nicholas Greenberry169316945Sir Edmund Andros169416946Sir Thomas Lawrence169416947Francis Nicholson 169416998Colonel Nathaniel Blakiston16991702 9Thomas Tench 1702170410Colonel John Seymour1704170911Major General Edward Lloyd1709171412John Hart17141715Governors of the restored proprietary government1John Hart171517202Colonel Thomas Brooke, Jr.172017203Captain Charles CalvertYentsch, Anne E, p.55, A Chesapeake Family and their Slaves: a Study in Historical Archaeology, Cambridge University Press (1994) Retrieved Jan 2010Chapelle, Suzanne Ellery Greene, p.306, Maryland: A History of Its People Retrieved August 3, 2010172017274Benedict Leonard Calvert 172717315Samuel Ogle 173117326Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore 173217337Samuel Ogle 173317428Sir Thomas Bladen17421746/47 9Samuel Ogle1746/471752 10Benjamin Tasker1752175311Horatio Sharpe 1753176912Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland17691776
See also List of governors of Maryland
Notes