14 Facts About Virgil Maxcy

Virgil Maxcy was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and spent his adult years in Maryland.

Virgil Maxcy graduated from Brown University in 1804, studied law with Robert Goodloe Harper, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and became an attorney in Baltimore, Maryland.

In 1811 Maxcy authored The Laws of Maryland from 1692 to 1809, a multi-volume work that compiled Maryland's statutes, declaration of independence, constitution and amendments.

Virgil Maxcy prepared and distributed The Maryland resolutions, and the objections to them considered, which argued against proposals to appropriate public land for the building of schools and other purposes.

Originally a Federalist, Virgil Maxcy served on Maryland's Executive Council in 1815 and served terms in the Maryland Senate and the Maryland House of Delegates.

Virgil Maxcy later became a Democrat and supported Andrew Jackson for President in 1824 and 1828.

Virgil Maxcy was active in the American Colonization Society, and in 1837 was one of the incorporators who successfully petitioned to change the organization's name; it had previously been known as the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America.

Haywood declined the appointment, and Van Buren then named Virgil Maxcy, who served until 1842.

In February 1844, Virgil Maxcy was considered for the position of Secretary of the Navy, but President Tyler appointed Thomas Walker Gilmer instead.

Virgil Maxcy was originally entombed at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC He was later reinterred at Tulip Hill, a large estate near Annapolis, Maryland, that was owned by his wife's family.

Virgil Maxcy was married to Mary Galloway, a member of one of Maryland's most prominent plantation owning families.

Virgil Maxcy was thus a wealthy man, with most of his fortune consisting of slaves and land.

Ann Virgil Maxcy was the wife of George Wurtz Hughes, who served as a United States representative from Maryland.

Virgil Maxcy is a prominent figure in academic discussions about same-sex intimate relationships in the United States during the early 1800s, which results from a letter he sent to a friend.