Leonard Calvert was a colonial governor of the Province of Maryland. Unlike his brother Cecilius, the second Lord Baltimore and the first proprietor of the province of Maryland, he governed by force rather than by leadership.
Background
Leonard Calvert was born in 1606; the second son of George Calvert, first Lord Baltimore and of his wife, Anne Mynne. His elder brother, Cecilius (1605 - 75), was the second Lord Baltimore and the first proprietor of the province of Maryland.
Career
As the presence of Cecilius was needed in England to defend his charter from repeated attacks of enemies he never visited the province, as he had planned to do, but entrusted the exercise of his authority there to Leonard who served under a commission as governor. The record of Leonard's early life is obscure. He went with his father to Newfoundland in 1628, at about the age of twenty-one, returned to England with some French prizes, and petitioned the king for letters of marque. With two vessels, the Ark and the Dove, carrying about three hundred colonists, he sailed from England, November 22, 1633, and landed at St. Clements (now Blackistone) Island, in Maryland, March 25, 1634. Here he immediately took "solemn possession of the Country for our Saviour and for our Sovereign Lord the King of England. " The following month, after some days of exploration and friendly intercourse with the Indians, he established the seat of government at St. Mary's, in St. Mary's County. Up to this time he was directed by instructions of November 15, 1633, covering chiefly early proceedings and addressed to himself as governor and to two commissioners who were to assist him. He was particularly enjoined to give no offense to the Protestant members of the colony and to cultivate friendly relations with Virginia. By the first extant commission to him as governor, dated April 15, 1637, he was made commander-in-chief of armed forces by land and sea; was made chief magistrate with large power of appointment; was authorized to call, prorogue, and dissolve the legislative Assembly; was made chancellor and chief justice with full power to hear and determine all criminal and civil cases not involving life, member, or freehold, and to grant pardons. He was authorized to grant patents for lands and appoint places for ports of entry, fairs, and markets. Instructions for the discharge of these functions were occasionally issued by the proprietor, who also appointed a council to advise him. Calvert gave early attention to the promotion and regulation of trade with the Indians, and in the summer of 1634 he sent the Dove with a cargo of corn to Boston to trade for fish and other commodities. He called the first Assembly of freemen to meet at St. Mary's in February, 1634/35, and the laws which it passed he sent to the proprietor for approval. The proprietor rejected them and sent others for the assent of the second Assembly. In January 1637/38 all members of that body, except Calvert and the secretary of the province, voted against them. To a suggestion that some laws be agreed upon until the proprietor had again been heard from, the governor replied that the Assembly had no power to do this. But he yielded to a proposition that he govern during this period according to the laws of England, or, if necessary, by martial law. Forty-two bills were subsequently passed. The governor signed them and wrote the proprietor, "I am persuaded they will appear unto you to provide both for your honor and profit as much as those you sent us did. " The proprietor yielded, and the right of initiative in legislation passed to the Assembly. It was the first important step in the transition to popular government in Maryland. In February 1637/38, Calvert, at the head of a small force, reduced to submission a trading post on Kent Island which had been established there in 1631 by William Claiborne. In April 1643 he sailed for England to confer with his brother. Shortly after his return, in September 1644, Claiborne and Richard Ingle incited an insurrection of Protestants against Catholics. St. Mary's was seized and the governor took refuge in Virginia. Two years later he returned with a force of Virginians and Marylanders, recovered possession, and restored order.
He died June 9, 1647, leaving two children: William and Anne, whose mother, Anne (Brent), had died some time before. He made his sister-in-law, Margaret Brent, his executrix.
Personality
Calvert was industrious and faithful to his brother's interest but was lacking in tact and personal magnetism.