On September 17, 1787, three representatives of Maryland signed their names to the freshly-inked United States Constitution, beginning the path towards full ratification and establishing a new government. Signing on behalf of Maryland were James McHenry, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, and Daniel Carroll.
James McHenry
James McHenry was an Irish-born statesmen who served as one of Maryland’s Constitutional Convention delegates. He was the namesake of Ft. McHenry. A surgeon during the American Revolution, McHenry purchased a 95-acre tract of Ridgely’s Delight in Baltimore renaming it Fayetteville in honor of his friend the Marquis de Lafayette and lived out his remaining years on the estate.
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer
Born in Port Tobacco in Charles County, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer became an established statesman by the Constitutional Convention of 1787. A peer of Benjamin Franklin, Jenifer was an ardent patriot during the revolution and also served Maryland in the Continental Congress. After the convention, Jenifer retired to Stepney, his plantation near Annapolis where he died in 1790. Jenifer is the uncle of Thomas Stone, one of the four Maryland signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Daniel Carroll
Daniel Carroll, a patriot from Prince George’s County, was one of five individuals to sign both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. After signing the Constitution, he was elected to the Maryland Senate, worked on behalf of the Pawtomack Company which aimed to build a Potomac River canal and helped survey the District of Columbia. He retired to his home near Rock Creek Park where he died at age 65.