Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll served in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the First Congress, helping secure Maryland's ratification and later supporting creation of the federal capital on the Potomac.
Born July 22, 1730 / Died July 5, 1796
On July 22, 1730, near Upper Marlboro in the Province of Maryland, Daniel Carroll was born into a wealthy Catholic family whose education networks stretched to Europe. He studied at Jesuit institutions in Maryland and abroad, then returned to plantation and legislative life. Service in the Maryland Senate made him one of the few Catholic statesmen with a major role in national founding politics.
Carroll sat in the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and became one of the most effective advocates for ratification in Maryland. He later served in the First Congress, where he supported amendments that became the Bill of Rights and backed the Residence Act placing the federal capital on the Potomac. George Washington also appointed him a commissioner for the new federal city in the 1790s.
Carroll's career connected Catholic participation to the mainstream of constitutional politics in the United States. His support for the Residence Act and the federal city tied him directly to the creation of Washington, D.C., as a permanent national institution.
Key Contributions
- Daniel Carroll Jr.
- Daniel Carroll was born on July 22, 1730.
- On September 17, 1787, Daniel Carroll signed the United States Constitution in Philadelphia after representing Maryland in the federal convention.
Related Events
Constitutional Convention convenes
From May to September 1787, delegates in Philadelphia abandoned revision of the Articles of Confederation and drafted a new Constitution under George Washington's presidency.
United States Constitution signed
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution in Philadelphia and sent the proposed frame of government to the states for ratification.
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