Benjamin Ogle

Benjamin Ogle (born February 7, 1749 in Annapolis , Province of Maryland , † July 6, 1809 ibid) was an American politician and governor of the state of Maryland from 1798 to 1801 .

Early years and political advancement

Benjamin Ogle was the son of the colonial governor Samuel Ogle , who died in 1752 and bequeathed his property to him. The villa with the name "Belair Mansion" was in the meantime inhabited by relatives of his mother and Ogle only had to fight for his right to this house in 1774 with legal means. Benjamin Ogle received his education at private schools in England . This also included Eton College , which he attended until 1761. He then returned to Maryland. Its political rise began in colonial times. Between 1773 and 1774 he was a member of the colonial parliament of Maryland. When the War of Independence broke out , he supported the cause of the Americans. Ogle became a friend of George Washington .

Ogle as a politician in Maryland

Benjamin Ogle became a member of the Federalist Party . Between 1781 and 1784 he was a member of the Advisory Board of the Governor of Maryland ( Governor's Executive council ). In 1798, 1799 and 1800 he was elected governor of his state for one year by the legislature of Maryland. He held this office between November 14, 1798 and November 10, 1801. At the beginning of his tenure, Maryland was also preparing for a possible war with England, but this could be averted at the federal level.

As in most of the US states of the time, there were tough political clashes between the two political parties of the time in Maryland. On one side were the federalists led by Alexander Hamilton , who were opposed to the Democratic Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson . After George Washington's death, Ogle ordered a day of remembrance on February 11, 1800, Washington's birthday. This later resulted in President's Day , celebrated today at the federal level on every third Monday in February , on which Americans commemorate their former presidents. After the end of his governorship, Ogle largely withdrew from politics. In 1806 he was an elector for the Senate elections. Benjamin Ogle died in July 1809. He had four children with his wife, Henrietta Margaret Hill.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 2, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

• Benjamin Ogle in the National Governors Association (English)