Charles Carroll

Charles Carroll (English: Charles Carroll; September 19, 1737 - November 14, 1832), American politician, born in Annapolis, Maryland, graduated from the College of Philosophy and Theology, University of London, one of the signers of the American Declaration of Independence, and served as a federal senator (1789-1792). Carroll was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence and the longest-lived one, dying in Baltimore at the age of 95. Carroll is considered one of the founding fathers of the United States and was known as the "First Citizen" of the American colonies at the time because he published articles in the Maryland Journal under the pseudonym "First Citizen." He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederacy, and later became Maryland's first U.S. Senator. Of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence, Carroll was one of the wealthiest and most formally educated. He received a Jesuit education in France for 17 years and spoke five languages ​​fluently. Carroll was born in Annapolis, Maryland, inherited a vast agricultural estate, and was considered the wealthiest man in the American colonies when the American Revolution broke out in 1775. His personal wealth at the time was said to have reached £2.1 million, equivalent to £330 million ($375 million) in 2023. In addition, Carroll owned a 10,000-acre estate in Maryland and owned approximately 300 slaves. Although religious reasons prevented him from holding public office in Maryland, Carroll became a leader in the state's independence movement. He was a delegate to the Annapolis Convention and was elected to the Continental Congress in 1776. He also participated in a failed diplomatic mission sent by the Continental Congress to Quebec to try to win over French Canadians, along with Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Chase. Carroll served in the Maryland Senate from 1781 to 1800. He was elected as one of Maryland's first U.S. Senators, but resigned from the Senate in 1792 after Maryland passed a law prohibiting individuals from holding state and federal offices simultaneously. After his retirement he helped establish the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.