GOVERNOR SAMUEL OGLE ORIGINAL PAINTING

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Original Painting - Ogle Family of Maryland and Allied Families. com© - Photo From my Personal Collection©

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THREE TIME PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND

Samuel Ogle, commission dated September 16th, 1731. Commission read in Council and oath taken December 7, 1731

Samuel Ogle, commission dated June 20, 1733. Commission read in Council and oath taken July 11, 1733

Samuel Ogle. Commission dated October 3, 1746. Commission read and oath taken March 16, 1746-7.
 

When Samuel Ogle died on May 3, 1752, Benjamin Tasker took  the oath as acting Governor on May 4, 1752
 

Samuel Ogle, whose commission as Governor was read in the Provincial Council on December 7, 1731 is said to have been a captain in the British Army before his arrival in Maryland, A year after his assumption of the governorship, he yielded the executive position, on December I I, 1732, to Charles, Lord Baltimore, who came to Maryland in person and assumed the direction of affairs. He remained only about six months and then Re-commissioned Ogle as Governor on June 20, 1733. Ogle took the oath of office on July 11, and continued as Governor until August 23, 1742, when he went to England, turning over the administration to Thomas Bladen, who was a brother-in-law of the Proprietary, having married a sister of Lady Baltimore. Ogle married Anne, daughter of Benjamin Tasker, a member of the Council, and niece of Thomas Bladen and, while he was in the Province, lived at Belair in Prince George's County. He returned as Governor on His Majesty's ship Foulkstone, in 1746/7, taking the oath of office on March 16. This third gubernatorial term lasted until his death, May 3, 1752. His brother- in-law, Benjamin Tasker, succeeded him and, when Col. Horatio Sharpe came with a commission as Governor on August 6, 1753  the succession of executives from the Calvert and connected families, which had continued since October, 1720, came to an end. Mrs. Ogle died in extreme old age, on August 14, 1817. Benjamin Ogle, a son of Governor Samuel Ogle, was Governor of the state from 1798 to i8oo. A letter from Governor Ogle to Charles, Lord Baltimore, written on August 25, 1733, shortly after the latter's departure from the Province. Shortly after his arrival in the Province, Governor Ogle summoned a new Assembly. When the election returns were received, it appeared that, as was almost universally the case during the Provincial History, ""Maryland, from its outset, rose upon the shoulders of persons of high birth, moved to their destination by the best thought at home. The Lower House organized by selecting John Mackall as its Speaker, a position in which he had already served acceptably, and by appointing its usual committees. The Assembly of 1732 finally passed a bill for issuing paper money, a subject which had been under discussion for several sessions. The act provided for the redemption of the notes, which fact induced George Chalmers in his Introduction to the History of the Revolt in the Colonies.  The long discussion as to the oath of a justice finally ended in a compromise. The Assize Bill was passed. A number of towns were laid out. A close election in the capital led to the passage of an act for prevention of bribery or corruption in the elections there. For some reason, Baltimore dissented to this act, which contained the quaint provision that the officer giving an oath to voters not to act corruptly should not take a fee therefore. There had been riotous proceedings in cutting tip tobacco plants which led to an act against such lawlessness. Iron manufactures and those of linen were encouraged and the taxes were revised:

Governor's salary being also renewed. That festering sore of injustice, the treatment of persons in jail, many of them for no crime but merely because of debt, was revealed in its full hideousness by a committee report, btit to the disgrace of the Provincials, no step was taken to remedy conditions and the Upper House, in its desire to assure the creditors of their rights, refused to release from confinement some unfortunate men whom the Lower House recommended for such leniency by granting them private bankruptcy laws. Complaint was made that the militia were not properly trained, and that there were abuses in the issuing of warrants in the Land Office. This is the first session of the Lower House for which the record of the yea and nay votes is extant. There are 20 divisions reported. the speaker never voted. The roll was called by counties, according to the date of their formation, as now. For some reason, however, Somerset was placed out of its chronological order, after Charles. On July 21, when there was a vacancy from Annapolis, on the division over the Revenue Bill, 48 members voted. As there were 12 counties, each returning four members, and the City of Annapolis, retiring two, the total number of members was 50, when there were no vacancies. Toward the end of the session, members began to go home, and at a division on August 7 only 34 voted. The last division on August 8 recorded 37 names. The divisions were upon six main subjects. 1. On July 12, it was voted in by the yeas and nays, by a vote of 29 to 17. I can find no particular significance in the alignment of members in this division. 2. On July 17, the House voted, 26 to 21, to have trashy tobacco burnt and on July 19, reversed this vote in a manner, by refusing, 21 to 26, to pass a bill to prevent exportation of trashy tobacco. In these divisions, the Eastern and Western Shores separated. In the earlier vote, all the Western delegates except one from St. Mary's and two from Baltimore, voted for the drastic measure, while only one from Talbot, one from Somerset and two from Queen Anne's joined them, f ruin the Eastern Shore. In the later vote, one from Kent also voted in the affirmative, but one from Queen Anne's changed to the negative, and another St. Mary's man, two from Calvert, and one from Charles voted against the destruction. 3. On July 12, the House voted, 12 to 32, not to exempt delegates from service in the Assizes. The affirmative votes were from St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles, and Queen Anne's, with a scattering one from Baltimore and from Prince Georges. On July 21, by one majority, 22 to 23, the House voted not to bring in a bill to punish bribery at elections. Most of the affirmative votes came from the Eastern Shore. viz. : Kent 1, Talbot 3, Dorchester 3, Cecil 3, Somerset 4, Queen Anne's 2. 4. The Revenue Bill caused a division on July 21, when the House voted, 16 to 32. not to consider it. On July 24, it voted not to alter the 12 pence for the support of government, 16 to 26; to continue the 2 shillings for rents and alienation fees, 26 to 20; and to pass the Revenue Bill for one year only, 33 to 13. On July 27, the House voted, 25 to 22, for the Government Bill and, on July 31, for the same bill, 24 to 22. On August 1, the House decided, 31 to 14, to allow the 3 half-pence duty to the Governor for one year, instead of three: amid, on August 7, the 3 pence duty raised for arms was allowed, by a vote of 22 to i8, to be disposed of as the Governor and Assembly might see fit. Here we have distinctly political questions amid may expect to find parties, if anywhere. An examination of the votes discloses something like the English division into Court amid Country parties and we note that some of the delegations from the counties appear to be divided. A conjectural division of the members upon this basis is as follows: Court Party: St. Mary's, Hopewell; Kent, Blackistone, Wilison, Howard, Hail; Culvert, Mackall; Dorchester, Hooper, Wool- ford, Taylor, Brannock; Baltimore, Scott; Annapolis, Gordon; Anne Arundel, Dulany; Talbot, Goldsborough, Hooper, Edmundson, Needles; Cecil, Ward; Queen Anne's, Wright, Hemsley, Clayton, Elliott (22). Country Party: St. Mary's, Waughop, Read, Jordan; Anne Arundel, Beale, Hammond, War- field; Charles, Courts, Middleton, Hanson, Hawkins; Cecil, Herman, Wood, George; Prince George's, Magruder, Crabb, Belt, Sprigg; Calvert, Smith, Skinner; Somerset, Gale, Allen, Dashieli, Caldwell; Baltimore, Mathews, Hamilton, Sheredine; Annapolis, Cumming. The Speaker,  is of no party. The strength of the Proprietary party on the Eastern Shore is notable. 5. On July 31, the House voted, 25 to 20, to allow payment of fees at 10 shillings for ioo pounds, rather than at a penny a pound of tobacco. The alignment of the voters is puzzling and I have no clue to it. 6. On August 4. the House voted, 20 to 21, not to agree to the Upper House amendments to the Paper Currency Bill and, on August 7, the vote was repeated, 15 to 19. On August 5, the House voted, 28 to 15, to enforce this bill. On August 5. it also voted, 16 to 26, not to defer the law going into effect until the Proprietary could be heard from; but, on August 7, it reversed this vote, 20 to 17. A vote had been lost from the negative in Prince George's, Dorchester, Calvert, Somerset and Annapolis, two from St. Mary's and from Charles; while the affirmative had gained one from Somerset, Dorchester, Annapolis, and Queen Anne's. On August 8, by the close vote of 18 to 19, the House voted  to allow the Governor to name the Commissioners to be appointed under the Paper Money Act. In general, the votes on the Paper Money Bill seems to follow the lines of those in the revenue acts. As this was a new Assembly, new committees were appointed. It is interesting to observe that no attempt was made to place all members on committees and that Messrs. Dulany, Beale, and Magruder were each upon two committees.

                                         LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT REPORT AND PETITION OF                

SAMUEL OGLE ESQ.

         LATE GOVERNOR OF MARYLAND

Your Committee in pursuance of the Order of the House have proceeded to examine into the Facts contained in the petition and do humbly report That Samuel Ogle Esq.^r mentioned in the said Petition did by his last Will and Testament Dated the 11.^th Day of February 1752 and duly proved devise to his Son Benjamin Ogle also mentioned in the said Petition who was Heir at Law of the said Samuel Ogle and his Heirs his House and Land in Prince Georges County as also all his Negroes and Slaves together with his Stock of what Kind So ever and Horses (except his English Horses and their Breed) and every Utensil or Implement belonging to or used on his said Plantation in the said County at the Time of his Death and after devising some Legacies did further devise all the rest & Residue of his real and personal Estate of what Nature or Kind So ever either in America Europe or Elsewhere after his Debts or Legacies should be paid to his said Son Benjamin and did by his said Will direct that the Land and Negroes so devised to his said Son should be kept and maintained at the Expense and Risque of his said Son and the Profits arising therefrom accounted for to his Use and Benefit and did constitute and appoint the Petitioner Benjamin Tasker Esq.^r and Col.^o Benjamin Tasker since deceased Executors of his said Will and Guardians to his said Son And by a Codicil to his said Will dated the 15.^th Day of April 1752 and duly proved the said Samuel Ogle Esq.^r after reciting the Devise to his said Son herein above mentioned and that he was apprehensive the said Devise might not be so Advantageous to him by the Directions in the said will that the said Land and Negroes should be kept and maintained at his Risque as if they should be sold did by the said Codicil revoke and make void the said Devise and Directions to keep and maintain the said Land and Negroes at his said Sons Risque and did direct that the said Negroes Horses and Stock Plantation Implements and Utensils should be sold as conveniently might be and the Money which should be raised thereby applied and reckoned as part of the Residue of his Estate devised to his said Son and that his House and Land mentioned in the said Devise should also be sold by his Executors or the Survivor of them if they or the Survivor of them should judge it most expedient and advantageous for the Benefit of his said Son And the Money arising by the Sale thereof should be also reckoned as part of the personal Estate and placed out at Interest for the Benefit of his said Son That the said Executors or one of them did after the Death of the said Samuel Ogle Esq.^r sell the said House and Land in Prince George's County under the power given them by the said Will That the Lands mentioned in the Petition are not partially mentioned in the said Will but that the said Samuel Ogle Esq.^r died Seized of them And that it does not appear to your Committee that any Profits have been drawn from them since the Death of the said Samuel Ogle Esq.^r

M. Esqr in the City of Annapolis appeared the Honorable Samuel Ogle Esqr in Presence of the Honorable Charles Calvert Esqr,Philemon Lloyd Esqr Col Richard Tilgnman Col Matthew Tilghman Ward John Rousby Esqr Benjamin Tasker Esqr and Philip Lee Esqr Members of His Lordships Council and produced His said Lordships Commission constituting appointing him the said Samuel Ogle Lieutenant General and Chief Governor of the Provinces of Maryland and Avalon in America, & also Commander in Chief both by Sea and Land of all the Forces raised or to be raised in the said Provinces; which being published and read, is ordered to be recorded in the

                                            (Seal)