Lionel Copley facts for kids

Sir Lionel Copley (1648 – September 12, 1693) was the first Royal Governor of Maryland. He served from 1692 until his death in 1693. He was the first governor officially chosen by the British King. This happened after the colony was taken from the Calvert family. The Calverts had previously owned and managed Maryland.

Copley faced many political challenges. He had disagreements with the colony's assembly. He also had issues with the colonial secretary, Thomas Lawrence. These struggles happened during his short time as governor.

Becoming Maryland's First Royal Governor

Copley arrived in the Maryland colony in 1692. His arrival followed a big change. A group of Protestant colonists had rebelled. They overthrew the government run by the Catholic Calvert family. Most people in Maryland were Protestant. They felt their rights were not being respected.

This rebellion in Maryland was similar to the Glorious Revolution in England in 1688. From 1689 until Copley's arrival, the colony was run by the rebellion's leaders. They called themselves the Protestant Associators.

Challenges with the Assembly

When Copley arrived, British control returned to Maryland. However, the rebellion's leaders wanted to keep their power. They focused on the elected part of the government, called the assembly. They had felt that the previous governors had too much power. So, they wanted to prevent that from happening again.

The assembly made sure to strengthen its own role. They appointed their own clerk, John Lewellin. They also created special committees. These committees helped the assembly stay strong and continuous. For example, a committee on elections decided how members were chosen. This gave the legislature control over its own makeup.

Other committees helped the colony run smoothly. A committee on complaints handled issues from citizens. A committee on laws worked to update the colony's legal rules. Another committee oversaw money and financial decisions.

Disputes with Thomas Lawrence

Copley also faced challenges from within his own government. Colonial offices could offer a lot of money. At the same time Copley became governor, Thomas Lawrence was made Secretary of the colony. This was a position that could bring great wealth.

Lawrence and Copley had argued even before they reached Maryland. Lawrence even sailed on a different ship because of their disagreement. Before Lawrence arrived in September 1692, two other men were doing the Secretary's work. They were also collecting the money from it.

Lawrence tried to get this money back. But Copley made a deal with the assembly. This deal helped Copley and weakened Lawrence. The assembly wanted to know exactly how much money government officials received. They wanted to stop favoritism, which had happened before. Copley agreed to sign a law about this.

Because of this new law, the assembly took some fees from the Secretary's office. They gave these fees to the Governor instead. Copley then took other fees from the Secretary's office. He gave them to Nehemiah Blakiston. Blakiston was a leader of the Protestant Associators. He now served on the Governor's council. Lawrence became a symbol for those who opposed Copley's rule. The power struggle continued over who could appoint county clerks.

Rebuilding the Colony

Despite these disagreements, the assembly and Governor worked to rebuild the government. They rewrote the colony's laws. Many old laws were kept, but new ones were added. These new laws addressed problems with the old government. They also strengthened the institution of slavery.

They also made the Church of England the official religion of the colony. Laws were passed that limited the practice of other religions. While all this work was happening, Copley became sick. Like many new arrivals to the colony, he died suddenly. His opponent, Thomas Lawrence, took over briefly. Several people served as governor for short periods. This continued until the new royal governor, Francis Nicholson, arrived.