Learn about Charles Carroll of Carrollton and his legacy. Read about how Charles Carroll was a signer of the Declaration of Independence who served in the U.S. Senate.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Charles Carroll | Biography & the Declaration of Independence
Table of Contents
- Who Was Charles Carroll of Carrollton?
- Charles Carroll’s Early Life
- Charles Carroll’s Later Life
- Charles Carroll’s Significance
- Lesson Summary
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the last surviving signer of the Constitution?
Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Constitution. He was also the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Why is Charles Carroll important?
Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also the only Catholic to sign the Declaration.
Who was the only Catholic who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Charles Carroll was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. He grew up in a Roman Catholic family.
Table of Contents
- Who Was Charles Carroll of Carrollton?
- Charles Carroll’s Early Life
- Charles Carroll’s Later Life
- Charles Carroll’s Significance
- Lesson Summary
Charles Carroll was an American patriot and politician who was the last surviving signer of the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. The legend goes that he signed the document ''Charles Carroll of Carrollton' to distinguish himself from other people by the same name living at the time. He wanted to ensure that he was held responsible for his decision.
His early years were spent in the colonies before he went off to Europe to study. Eventually, he became a distinguished and scholarly man and returned home to participate in the political and revolutionary life of the colonies and eventually the emerging new country.
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Charles Carroll was born in Annapolis, Maryland to Charles Carroll Sr and Elizabeth Brooke. They were a Roman Catholic family living in a largely Catholic colony, the Maryland colony having been established in order to provide a safe place for Roman Catholics to practice their faith. At his birth, this colony was still subject to the British Empire. His family was wealthy and as the eldest son, he was set to inherit much land and money.
Charles Carroll’s Education
Charles Carroll had quite an extensive education. At ten years old, he was sent to study at the Jesuit school at Bohemia Manor, a Catholic school. Two years later, he was sent to St. Omers in French Flanders to gain an education in classical studies. He graduated from the College of Louis the Grande at age seventeen and in 1760, he went to the Inner Temple in London to study law.
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Charles Carroll’s Marriage and Personal Life
By the time Carroll returned home after his formal schooling, his mother had died. He married Molly Darnell, his cousin, and the couple had seven children, three of whom lived into adulthood. They lived in Maryland. His role as a prominent citizen allowed them to host many dignitaries and people of consequence.
Charles Carroll’s Early Career
Carroll spent time managing his estate, and he became involved in politics. He was a revolutionary and beloved in the violent fight for independence. He wrote about his positions in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym, ''First Citizen.'' In the Gazette he debated Daniel Dulany the Younger who was writing under the pseudonym, ''Antillon.''
He gave his consent to the Annapolis Tea Party. This occurred when the British tea ship, the Peggy Stewart was burned while in port.
Charles Carroll: Signer of the Declaration of Independence
Charles Carroll worked to drum up support for the Revolutionary War. He, among others, worked to get support from Canada for the war. They were unable to do this, but he is one of the people credited for turning the citizens of Maryland in favor of war.
Charles Carroll was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. He served on committees in Maryland, effectively ending the ban on Catholics serving in the state’s politics. He was also called to serve on the First Continental Congress. He served on the Board of War in Congress. After the war, he was prominent in Maryland politics
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No major battles during the war were fought in Maryland; however, the area still had difficulties after the war. Some of these were a need for paper money, debt relief, and seized loyalist property. Overall, however, the area flourished as a center of industry.
Charles Carroll’s Later Career
Charles Carroll served in both the United States Senate and the Maryland Senate. The law did not allow him to serve in both, however, and he removed himself from the federal Senate. Key dates include the following:
- In 1778, he helped form the state government.
- In 1781, he was elected to the Maryland Senate.
- In 1788, he was elected to the First Federal Congress.
- In 1790, he served again in the Maryland Congress.
- In 1800, he resigned from the Congress.
Charles Carroll’s Final Years
Charles Carroll continued to prosper after his retirement from politics. In the post-war years, he served on the American Colonization Society which worked to solve the problem of enslaved people in America. At the time of the revolution, he was the largest owner of enslaved people. He promoted the resettlement of Black people in Africa.
In 1827, he briefly came out of retirement to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. He held securities in the railroad and served on its Board of Directors.
He was also a founder of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. He had investments in the Bank of Maryland, the Bank of Baltimore, and the First and Second Bank of the United States. He also held stakes in public works companies.
In 1821, he moved in with his daughter Mary Caton. He died on November 14, 1832, at the age of 95 at his daughter’s home. He was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence.
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Charles Carroll was born into a family of means and he used those means to gain an education and advance the cause of revolution in the Maryland colony. He spent his life serving his community and serving on and investing in many public works and banking companies. He was one of the leading patriot voices in Maryland and the entire Chesapeake region.
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Charles Carroll was an American patriot and politician who was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was born into a wealthy, Roman Catholic family in Maryland. Maryland was a place of refuge for Catholics. He had a lengthy and extensive education both domestically and abroad. When he returned home, he was a dignified man ready to help his country gain independence, something he felt was worth fighting a bloody war over. He wrote for the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym, ''First Citizen'' to advance his patriotic views.
He served on a failed mission to Canada to try to get support from them for war. While he failed to do this, he did succeed in getting his fellow citizens of Maryland to support the war. He gave his permission to patriots to burn Peggy Stewart during the Boston Tea Party. He served on the First Continental Congress. He also worked to resettle enslaved Black people in Africa. He was involved with multiple public works and banking institutions. He retired from public life in 1801 but he later briefly came out of retirement to establish the Baltimore Ohio Railroad. He died at the age of 95.
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Additional Info
Who Was Charles Carroll?
Charles Carroll is one of those Revolutionary figures who we typically don't hear much about unless we are studying state history in-depth. But like the other Founding Fathers, he played an important role in the birth of the American Republic. So who was Charles Carroll and what did he do?
Charles Carroll (1737-1832) was a Catholic patriot from Maryland, who, in addition to being a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress. He was also involved in an exciting event that we might go so far as to call the 'Annapolis Tea Party,' but we will learn about this shortly.
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Early Life and Background
Charles Carroll was born in Annapolis, Maryland in 1737. He was the only child of Charles Carroll (Sr.) and Elizabeth Brooke. As a young boy he attended a local Jesuit school before traveling to France to continue his education. In 1765 he returned home to Maryland. Like his father, Charles was Roman Catholic in religion. The colony of Maryland had been founded as a safe haven for English Catholics, so this region was home to significant numbers of Catholics, including the Carroll family. They were exceptionally wealthy and Charles Carroll inherited significant land and wealth from his father. This made Charles a prominent citizen in the area.
Role in the American Revolution
By the outbreak of the American Revolution, Charles had adopted a pro-revolution view. In 1772 he began writing anonymously in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym 'First Citizen.' In particular, Carroll argued that the colonies ought to regulate their own taxation. Arguing against him in these written debates was Daniel Dulany the Younger, a respected Loyalist, who wrote under the name 'Antillon.' When the 'First Citizen's' identity was revealed, Carroll's notoriety sky-rocketed, and he emerged as a leading Maryland patriot.
In October of 1774, Carroll gave his consent to have a British ship (the Peggy Stewart) and its contents of tea burned while docked at Annapolis Harbor. This act has been called the 'Annapolis Tea Party'. Like the Boston Tea Party, it was an act of defiance against British authority.
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Carroll served in various state committees, and in 1776 was elected to the Continental Congress. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, there is a legend about his signature. Supposedly after signing 'Charles Carroll' on the document and returning to his seat, a peer criticized him, pointing out that there were many Charles Carrolls in America; if he were to be caught by the British, little harm would come to him because they could not prove he was the actual signer. Upon hearing this, Carroll stood back up and signed 'of Carrollton' to the Declaration. Because of this, he is often known as 'Charles Carroll of Carrollton.' Regardless of the accuracy of this story, as a wealthy man Carroll had much to lose by signing this treasonous document. He was also the last living signatory of the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died in 1826, but Carroll lived until 1832.
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Later Life and Death
In 1781 Carroll was elected to the Maryland Senate. He was also elected the U.S. Senate, but because the law forbade him from serving in both the state and national senate, he opted to serve in the state senate. In 1801 Carroll retired from public life, but he came out of retirement briefly in 1827 to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Carroll died in 1832.
Lesson Summary
Charles Carroll (1737-1832) was a Catholic patriot from Maryland, who, in addition to being a signer of the Declaration of Independence, served in the Continental Congress. He was Roman Catholic in faith. In 1772 he began writing anonymously in the Maryland Gazette under the pseudonym 'First Citizen.' This helped him gain notoriety. In October 1774, Carroll gave his consent to have a British ship and its contents of tea burned while docked at Annapolis Harbor. This act has been called the 'Annapolis Tea Party'. Carroll was the oldest surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence, passing away at the age of 95 in 1832. After serving in politics, Carroll came out of retirement briefly in 1827 to help create the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
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Charles Carroll | Biography & the Declaration of Independence
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