Perhaps the most famous and certainly one of the most outspoken
former Eastern Shore governors was William Paca of Queen Anne's
County, the third chief executive of Maryland who served from 1782
to 1785. Prior to the Revolutionary War, nowhere in the colonies
could one find a more severe critic of the English than Mr. Paca and,
later, after becoming Governor, he was on hand to witness and par-
ticipate in some of the greatest events in Maryland's history including
Washington resigning his commission as Commander-in-Chief of the
Continental Armies and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris ending
the Revolutionary War. A signer of the Declaration of Independence,
Governor Paca, toward the close of his career, was instrumental in
establishing Washington College in Chestertown. An early writer said
of Governor Paca:

"Mr. Paca was a man of remarkably graceful address, fine appear-
ance and polished manners; he had mixed long in the best society
and had improved his social powers to a very high degree of refinement.
In the office of Governor, his superiority in these respects was very
strikingly displayed and the courtesies of the executive mansion
have never been more elegantly sustained than during his tenure of
office. "

Governor Paca's immediate successor, William Smallwood, of Kent
County, served from 1785 to 1788. He was one of the most famous
military figures of his day and not the least bit reluctant to inform
others of this fact. It was Washington for the nation and Smallwood
for the State as citizens began looking for civil leaders from among
the ranks of the military. As a colonel in the Revolution, Smallwood
was designated by General Washington to cover the General's retreat
during the Battle of Long Island and, during this engagement, Small-
wood won lasting fame for himself and the Maryland Line.

The first Governor to encounter a problem that has continued to
haunt us to this day was John Henry, of Dorchester County, who was
elected by the Legislature in 1797 for one year. Maryland was divided
and the Eastern and Western shores were struggling for control of
State affairs and the right to name Maryland's representatives in the
United States Senate. A compromise was agreed upon with each area
given one Senator. John Henry was elected and became Maryland's
first United States Senator. So ably did he serve that when the country

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