Cecil Calvert (1606–1675)
Second Lord Baltimore, Founder of Maryland
His father, George, had secured a grant of land north of Virginia from King Charles I, but died before colonization could be undertaken. Cecil thus became proprietor of the colony of Maryland, and sponsored the initial voyage aboard the Ark and the Dove. His brother Leonard became governor of the colony. The Calverts were Catholics, and when Maryland was established it was the only colony in British North America that permitted Catholics freedom of worship.
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