Historical List
Constitutional Convention, 1850
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Archives of Maryland
Historical List Constitutional Convention, 1850 |
Through the mid-nineteenth century, amendments to the Constitution of 1776 were enacted by the General Assembly and ratified by the voters, but with unforeseen consequences.
"The practice for all these years had been to propose amendments by adding new language to the document, without deleting anything and without specifying where in the Constitution the new matter should be placed. As a result, even persons skilled in legal construction could differ in their interpretation of the contents of the Constitution."[1]
On February 21, 1850, the General Assembly called on the voters to determine the need for a constitutional convention to "frame a new Constitution and Form of Government, except so far as regards the rights and relations existing between master and slave..." (Acts of 1849, ch. 346).
Delegates to the "Reform Convention of 1850" were chosen by the electorate
on September 1, 1850. The Constitutional Convention of 1850-1851 convened
in Annapolis on November 4, 1850, and adjourned on May 13, 1851. The second
state consitution, adopted by the convention, was ratified by the voters
on June 14, 1851.
| John
G. Chapman, President George G. Brewer, Secretary |
| Allegany County
James Fitzpatrick William M. Hollyday John Slicer Samuel P. Smith William Weber |
Anne Arundel County
Thomas Donaldson Thomas B. Dorsey James Kent Alexander Randall John S. Sellman George Wells |
Baltimore City
Robert J. Brent Charles J. M. Gwinn Benjamin C. Presstman George W. Sherwood David Stewart Elias Ware, Jr. |
| Baltimore County
Ephraim Bell James M. Buchanan Hartwell J. Chandler Benjamin C. Howard James L. Ridgely Thomas J. Welsh |
Calvert County
John Bond Jesse J. Dalrymple A. R. Sollers George W. Weems |
Caroline County
Richard C. Carter Edward Hardcastle Thomas R. Stewart John Thawley |
| Carroll County
Elias Brown Mordecai G. Cockey Andrew G. Ege Joseph M. Parke Jacob Shower |
Cecil County
Benjamin B. Chambers Albert Constable William McCullough Louis McLane John M. Miller |
Charles County
George Brent John G. Chapman Daniel Jenifer William D. Merrick |
| Dorchester County
Joseph R. Eccleston William T. Goldsborough Thomas Holliday Hicks John H. Hodson Francis P. Phelps |
Frederick County
Robert Annan Daniel S. Biser John D. Gaither William Cost Johnson Edward Shriver Francis Thomas |
Harford County
Samuel M. Magraw Ramsey McHenry James Nelson John Sappington William B. Stephenson |
| Kent County
Ezekiel Forman Chambers John Lee Joseph T. Mitchell James B. Ricaud |
Montgomery County
James W. Anderson John Brewer Allen Bowie Davis John M. Kilgour Washington Waters |
Prince George's County
Thomas F. Bowie John D. Bowling John M. S. Maccubbin Samuel Sprigg William H. Tuck |
| Queen Anne's County
Enoch George William Grason William A. Spencer Henry E. Wright |
St. Mary's County
William J. Blakistone John F. Dent James R. Hopewell George C. Morgan |
Somerset County
John W. Crisfield John J. Dashiell James U. Dennis John Dennis William Williams |
| Talbot County
Morris O. Colston Samuel P. Dickinson Edward Lloyd Cornelius Sherwood |
Washington County
Lewis P. Firey Thomas Harbine Alexander Neill, Jr. John Newcomer Michael Newcomer George Schley |
Worcester County
Levin L. Dirickson James M. Fooks Ebenezer Hearn Curtis W. Jacobs Samuel S. McMaster |
Source: Edward C. Papenfuse, et al., The Archives of Maryland, new series, An Historical List of Public Officials of Maryland, Vol. I. (Annapolis, MD: Maryland State Archives, 1990).
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