Robert Eden, 1st Baronet

Sir Robert Eden (born September 14, 1741 in Durham , County Durham , England , † September 2, 1784 in Annapolis , Maryland ) was the last British colonial governor of the Province of Maryland .

Life

Robert Eden was the second son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, and a brother of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland (1745-1814). Another brother was the British diplomat Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley (1752-1830). He was also related to Charles Eden (1673-1722), who was the colonial governor of the Province of North Carolina . In 1763, Robert Eden married Caroline Calvert, daughter of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (1699–1751), the former owner of the Province of Maryland. In 1768 he was appointed the new governor of Maryland by his brother-in-law Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore (1731-1771), who had owned Maryland since 1751. There he replaced Horatio Sharpe in 1769 . Eden was to become the last British governor of Maryland. In 1772 he laid the cornerstone of what is now the Maryland Parliament building . His entire term in office was overshadowed by the events of the nascent American Revolution . Colonists' dissatisfaction with British tax laws grew steadily. On October 19, 1774, the British ship Peggy Stewart burned in the port of Annapolis . A process that was reminiscent of the Boston Tea Party that took place the previous year . Similarly, the process also became known as the Annapolis Tea Party . The governor sympathized with the colonists' demands, but rejected any form of violence. He tried to mediate between the British and the Americans, as the colonists were increasingly called. Ultimately, these attempts were unsuccessful. As the colony came more and more under American control, the governor was not simply kicked out of the country, as in other British colonies. The forms were preserved. The American Security Committee made an official request to the governor to resign. In the end, this also amounted to dismissal, but was much more formal and polite than anywhere else in North America at the time. He was also not arrested. On June 23, 1776 he was allowed to travel to England. On October 19 of the same year he was by King George III. raised to the nobility (Baronet of Maryland). After the American Revolutionary War ended , he returned to Maryland to regain parts of his former property. He died on September 2, 1784 in Annapolis. One of his descendants was the British Prime Minister Anthony Eden (1897–1977).

Web links

• Robert Eden, 1st Baronet in the database of Find a Grave (English)