Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)

Samuel Chase (1741-1811)
MSA SC 3520-235

Signer of the Declaration of Independence; Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1796-1811


Biographical Profile
Born:  April 17, 1741 near Princess Anne, Somerset County1
Father:  Reverend Thomas Chase2
Mother:  Matilda (Walker) Chase3
Education:  educated at home; studied law with John Hall, Annapolis4
Religious Affiliation:   Anglican5
Marriages:  May  2, 1762 to Ann Baldwin; March 3, 1784 to Kitty Giles6
Children:  Matilda, Thomas (died young), Nancy, Fanny (died young), Ann, Samuel, Thomas, Elizabeth, Mary7
Private Occupations:
            Lawyer; admitted to the bar, 1761
            Co-owner with Allen Quynn, saltworks, West River, Anne Arundel County, 1777-78
            Partner with Thomas Dorsey, John Dorsey & Co., mercantile firm, 1778-80
            Partner Nottingham Ironworks Company, 1782;
            Owner, wharf and lumberyard, Baltimore8
Public Service:
          Prosecutor, Mayor's Court, Annapolis, 1761
            Justice, Anne Arundel County, 1764
            Common Councilman, Annapolis, 1766
            Lower House, Annapolis, 1765-66, 1777, 1779-85, Anne Arundel County, 1768-70, 1771, 1773-74, 1786-87, Baltimore Town, 1787-88
            Member, Provincial Committee of Correspondence, 1773-75
            Alderman, Annapolis, 1773-79
            Recorder, Annapolis, 1773-86
            Conventions, Anne Arundel County, 1774-76
            Delegate, Continental Congress, 1774-78
            1st  Council of Safety from the Western Shore, 1775
            Signer, Declaration of Independence, 1776
            Judge, Orphans' Court, Anne Arundel County, 1779
            Maryland Senate Elector, Anne Arundel County, 1786
            Delegate, Constitution Ratification Convention, Anne Arundel County, 1788
            Chief Justice, Court of Oyer and Terminer and Gaol Delivery, Baltimore Town, 1788-89, 1792-94
            Commissioner, Baltimore Town, 1788-96
            Senate, Western Shore, 1791 (did not serve, probably declined)
            Judge, General Court, 1791-96
            Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court, 1796-18119
Died:  June 19, 1811 in Baltimore10
Buried:  Old St. Paul's Cemetery, Baltimore11

Notes on sources

Link to New Dictionary of National Biography Entry

Link to Artistic Properties Commission Biography

Return to Samuel Chase's introductory page


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