Owners of Enslaved Persons on the Eastern Shore Who Served in the Maryland Legislature and in the U.S. Congress, Part 3

George Shivers • April 13, 2022

Article 24, Declaration of Rights, Maryland Constitution of 1864. Image: Maryland State Archives


This is the last of three articles about Eastern Shore owners of enslaved persons who served in the Maryland legislature and in the U.S. Congress. Part 1 covered the Lower Shore counties. Part 2 described the Mid-Shore counties. This article covers 14 enslavers who lived in the Upper Shore counties of Queen Anne’s, Kent, and Cecil.

 

  1. Ezekiel Forman Chambers (1788-1867), Kent
  2. John Angel Creswell (1828-1891), Cecil
  3. Levin Gale (1784-1834), Cecil
  4. Hart Benton Holton (1835-1907), Cecil
  5. Hiram McCullough (1813-1885), Cecil
  6. George Edward Mitchell (1781-1832), Cecil
  7. Joseph Hopper Nicholson (1770-1817), Kent
  8. James Alfred Pearson (1805-1862), Kent
  9. Philip Reed (1760-1829), Kent
  10. Samuel Ringgold (1770-1829), Kent
  11. Joshua Seney (1756-1798), Queen Anne’s
  12. Joshua Van Sant (1803-1884), Kent
  13. George Vickers (1801-1879), Kent
  14. Robert Wright (1752-1826), Queen Anne’s

 

The names of these politicians are taken from a Washington Post project to identify enslavers.
 

Ezekiel Forman Chambers. Image: Wikimedia Commons


Ezekiel Forman Chambers

 

Born in Chestertown, Kent County, in 1788, Ezekiel Forman Chambers graduated from Washington College in 1805, was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1808, and established a practice in his hometown. He served in the War of 1812, becoming a brigadier general after the war. In 1822, he was elected to the Maryland Senate and was then elected to the U.S. Senate, from which he resigned in 1834. Chambers then served as presiding judge of the Second Judicial Circuit of Maryland Court of Appeals until 1851.

 

Chambers enslaved as many as 54 persons; his son, however, claimed he was an abolitionist.

 

During his time as a judge, he represented Maryland in a landmark case in defense of slavery. In that case, Edward Prigg was trying to retrieve alleged fugitives from across the Mason-Dixon Line. The Supreme Court in 1842 sided with the rights of enslavers to their property, establishing Chambers’s role as a major figure in the political debates about slavery. In 1858, he played an active role in the expulsion of Kent County resident James L. Bowers from his home. Bowers was rumored to be involved in abolitionist activities and Chambers ruled the local mob was justified in tarring and feathering him and chasing him out of town.

 

In 1864, Chambers lost his bid to be elected as Maryland’s governor. At that time, he still owned several enslaved persons, even though the new Maryland constitution of that same year abolished slavery. He died in 1867 and is interred in the Chester Cemetery.

 

Hiram McCullough. Photo: Wikipedia


Hiram McCullough

 

Born in Elkton in Cecil County in 1813, Hiram McCullough studied at Elkton Academy, was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1837, and practiced in Elkton. From 1845 to 1851, he served in the Maryland Senate. After running for U.S. Congress in 1850 and losing, he was appointed as one of the codifiers of the laws of Maryland. Elected as a Democrat to Congress, he served until 1869. He then resumed his law practice and for many years was counsel for the Philadelphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore Railroad.

 

He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1864 and in 1868. In 1880 and 1881, he was a delegate in the Maryland General Assembly and was elected as Speaker of the House. He died in Elkton in 1885 and was interred in the Presbyterian Cemetery.

 

McCullough owned two male slaves in 1860, ages 30 and 35.

 

Philip Reed. Image: U.S. House of Representatives


Philip Reed

 

Philip Reed was born in Kent County near Chestertown in 1760. He served in the Revolutionary Army and reached the rank of captain. In 1787, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates. From 1791 to 1794, he was sheriff of Kent County. He was elected as a Democratic Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1806; reelected the same year, he served until 1813.

 

He was a lieutenant colonel in the Maryland militia during the War of 1812. Subsequently, Reed was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served from 1817 to 1819. He was elected for another term, 1822 to 1823. He died in 1829 and was buried in the Christ Church cemetery near Chestertown.

 

In 1800, Reed owned 10 enslaved people. That number had increased to 23 in 1820. At the time of his death, according to the 1830 census, he owned four enslaved persons.

 

Samuel Ringgold. Image: U.S. National Park Service


Samuel Ringgold

 

Samuel Ringgold was born in Chestertown in 1770, but moved to Washington County, where he farmed and served on the vestry of St. John’s Church in Hagerstown. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1795, and later served in the state Senate (1801-1806). From March 1817 to 1821, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives. After leaving Congress, he returned to his estate, Fountain Rock. He died in Frederick and is interred in Fountain Rock Cemetery, near Hagerstown. In 1820, Ringgold was the owner of 28 enslaved people.



George Vickers. Image: Govtrack.us


George Vickers

 

Born in Chestertown in 1801, George Vickers was employed by the Kent County clerk’s office for several years. He was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1832 and established a practice in Chestertown. He served as a major general in the Maryland militia during the Civil War. One of his four sons fought in the Union Army; a second fought in the Confederate army and was killed at Shiloh.

 

A Democrat, Vickers was a U.S. senator from Maryland from 1868 to 1873. He reportedly rushed to Washington from Chestertown to cast his vote against President Andrew Johnson’s impeachment.

 

In 1870, he led the effort by southern Democrats to block the swearing-in of Sen. Hiram Revels of Mississippi, the first Black member of that body. Vickers argued the Dred Scott decision meant Revels had only been a citizen for two years, since the Fourteenth Amendment was ratified, and not the nine years required by the Constitution. The Senate voted down this objection, and Revels was sworn in.

 

After his Senate term, Vickers resumed his law practice and died in Chestertown in 1879. His remains are interred in the Chester Cemetery.

 

According to the 1860 Slave Schedule (population schedules used in the 1850 and 1860 Federal Censuses), Vickers enslaved eight persons, including two boys and one man, and three girls and one woman.

 

Robert Wright. Image: U.S. Senate Historical Office


Robert Wright

 

Robert Wright was born in Queen Anne’s County in 1752. He was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1773 and began his practice in Chestertown. He served during the Revolutionary War, first as a private, then as a lieutenant, and eventually as a captain.

 

From 1784 to 1786, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates, and in the state Senate in 1801. He was elected as a Democratic Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1801 and served there until 1806. From 1806 to 1809, he was governor of Maryland. In 1810, he was clerk of Queen Anne’s County.

 

Wright served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1810 to 1817. He was subsequently reelected and served from 1821 to 1823. Then, until his death in 1826, Wright was district judge of the lower Eastern Shore district. He was buried in the private burying ground of the DeCourcy family in Queen Anne’s County.

 

In 1820, Wright enslaved 20 persons, including 11 boys and young men, one man, four girls and young women, and three women.

 

John Andrew Jackson Creswell. Image: Brady-Handy Photographic Collection


John Andrew Jackson Creswell (mistakenly given the name John Angel Creswell in some sources)

 

Born in Creswell’s Ferry (now Port Deposit) in Cecil County in 1828, John Creswell is something of an enigma. First, there is a mistaken version of his name and second, he appears on a list of enslavers who served in the Maryland and U.S. legislatures.

 

Yet in all my research, Creswell is presented as an abolitionist by conviction who contributed in significant ways to that cause. One source suggests that he came to his abolitionist ideas somewhat late, which may explain why he has also been identified as an enslaver earlier in his life.

 

Even though it isn’t appropriate to discuss him further in the context of this article, I will address his interesting career in a future article.

 

 

Sources:

More than 1700 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation. Julie Zauzmer Weil, Adrian Blanco, and Leo Dominguez. Washington Post, Jan. 10, 2022.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/interactive/2022/congress-slaveowners-names-list/?itid=ap_juliezauzmerweil

 

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, 1774-present

https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=W000768

 

American Abolitionists and Antislavery Activists: Conscience of the Nation

http://americanabolitionists.com/anti-slavery-political-leaders.html#Congressional%20Reps%20Who%20Opposed%20Slavery

 

Wikipedia, John Creswell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Creswell

 

Wikipedia, William Hindman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hindman

 

Wikipedia, John Leeds Kerr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Leeds_Kerr

 

Wikipedia, Hiram McCullough

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiram_McCullough

 

History, Art, & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, Philip Reed

https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/R/REED,-Philip-(R000125)/

 

Find a Grave, George Vickers

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7954973/george-vickers

 

Wikipedia, George Vickers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Vickers

 

InfoPlease, Robert Wright

https://www.infoplease.com/biographies/government-politics/robert-wright-md

 

 

A native of Wicomico County, George Shivers holds a doctorate from the University of Maryland and taught in the Foreign Language Dept. of Washington College for 38 years before retiring in 2007. He is also very interested in the history and culture of the Eastern Shore, African American history in particular.

 

Common Sense for the Eastern Shore

Health of His Constituents is Apparently Not a Priority for Rep. Dr. Andy Harris

By Jan Plotczyk • October 8, 2025
The Republican Congress and President Trump are causing a health care crisis and Democrats are trying to fix it. Passed in July, the GOP budget reconciliation bill is drastically cutting health insurance programs to pay for tax cuts for billionaires. Rep. Andrew P. Harris (R-MD01) voted for the budget reconciliation bill. He voted, knowing that his vote would mean that health care costs would rise for 25,000 of his constituents in Maryland’s First Congressional District:

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By CSES Staff • October 8, 2025
 Efforts by the Trump administration to delay a critical court case over Maryland’s offshore wind project have failed, marking another setback in the president’s campaign to block renewable energy development along the East Coast. On Oct. 2, U.S. District Court Judge Stephanie Gallagher denied a motion filed by the Department of Justice to pause an ongoing lawsuit involving US Wind’s proposed 114-turbine wind farm off Ocean City. The administration had argued that the federal government’s shutdown prevents its attorneys from continuing the case. The judge’s swift rejection ensures that the litigation and progress on one of Maryland’s most significant clean energy projects will continue. Initially filed by Ocean City officials and a small group of residents nearly a year ago, the suit challenges the federal approval of US Wind’s project, which would deliver enough clean electricity to power more than 700,000 homes. Under the Biden administration, the federal government had defended the project in partnership with US Wind. That stance was reversed after Trump took office earlier this year and installed officials hostile to offshore wind. In September, the Trump administration filed a separate motion seeking to vacate federal approval for the Maryland project altogether, a move widely condemned by environmental advocates, labor groups, and business leaders who see offshore wind as a cornerstone of Maryland’s energy and economic future. US Wind responded forcefully to the shutdown motion, warning the court that the administration’s attempts to delay proceedings could allow it to undermine the project’s approval behind the scenes quietly. The company argued that halting the case would create “existential risks” for the future of Maryland’s offshore wind industry. Judge Gallagher agreed that the case should move forward, setting the next status hearing for Oct. 7. The Trump administration’s repeated efforts to obstruct offshore wind development come as Maryland and other states have invested heavily in building the infrastructure, workforce, and port facilities needed to anchor the growing clean energy industry. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has championed the sector as a key driver for well-paying jobs and long-term economic resilience for the Eastern Shore. Supporters of US Wind point out that the project will bring over $1 billion in investment to Maryland, generate thousands of construction and maintenance jobs, and help deliver cleaner, more affordable energy to homes and businesses across the region. “Offshore wind isn’t just about turbines, it’s about jobs, innovation, and independence,” one clean energy advocate said after the ruling. “Every delay costs working Marylanders opportunity, and this decision ensures progress continues.” While the broader lawsuit over the project’s approval is ongoing, the latest ruling represents a clear win for those fighting to keep Maryland’s offshore wind future on track — and a blow to Trump’s attempt to turn back the clock on clean energy.

Should We Pin Our Hopes on Mid-Cycle Redistricting in MD-01?

By Jan Plotczyk • October 8, 2025
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By CSES Staff • October 8, 2025
With standing room only at Salisbury’s Historic Poplar Hill Mansion, and blending policy, community service, and grassroots energy, Megan Outten launched her campaign for Wicomico County Council District 7 before almost 100 supporters on Oct. 4. The event drew community residents, labor leaders, and local officials, many of whom also helped to pack nearly 300 care kits for Wicomico residents in need. The community service effort doubled as a campaign statement about what Outten calls “choosing connection over convenience.” District 7 is one of Wicomico’s newly drawn single-member districts, with a Democratic advantage of 7.7%. Outten recalled her family’s history of service in Fruitland and Salisbury. “Service isn’t just politics in my family,” she said. “It’s how you belong to a place. It’s how you prove you care.” She pointed to the county’s landfill crisis, water and septic system failures, and school underfunding as examples of leadership that reacts rather than plans. “This is what happens when leaders only react after things break,” she said. “It costs us more. It hurts families. It robs our kids of the future they deserve.” Outten was joined by several local leaders who offered strong endorsements and reflections on her record. AFSCME Local 3 Eastern Shore representative Jack Hughes praised her leadership on the Salisbury City Council, crediting her with helping pass the Eastern Shore’s first municipal labor code, a significant win for city workers and first responders. Councilman Josh Hastings, who represents the district and is running for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 38B, said Outten would be “crucial in carrying forward the progress we’ve made” on clean water, schools, and infrastructure planning. Whitney Snowden-Olanrewaju from Blending Cultures, a non-profit organization that promotes diversity and equality, spoke about Outten’s record of community inclusion and bridge-building across diverse groups. Outten’s campaign is expected to roll out additional endorsements in the coming weeks. In her speech, she outlined a platform focused on fully funding schools, investing in infrastructure before it fails, and ensuring that county government works for everyone. “This campaign is not mine,” she told the crowd. “It’s ours. I am not standing above you. I am standing with you. And together, we will put Wicomico families first.” With enthusiasm, endorsements, and her message that’s focused on service and accountability, Outten’s kickoff reinforced that District 7 is already shaping up to have a strong favorite in 2026.

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By CSES Staff • October 8, 2025
An act of inhumanity in Salisbury has sparked an outpouring of compassion. Early on Oct. 5, community organizer Jared Schablein’s car was stolen from his backyard. Inside the vehicle were hundreds of care kits assembled just days earlier during Megan Outten’s Wicomico County Council District 7 campaign kickoff event. Packed by volunteers at Salisbury’s Poplar Hill Mansion, the kits contained feminine hygiene products, socks, and toiletries meant for Wicomico County residents facing housing insecurity. “Those kits were meant for neighbors in need,” said Schablein. “If nothing else, I hope whoever took them returns them. Getting those care kits to the folks who need them matters more to me than anything else.” Schablein and Outten have turned the theft into action, launching a new effort called the “Care Kits Comeback Drive.” The event, scheduled for Oct. 12 at 2pm at Poplar Hill Mansion, aims to replace every lost kit, and more. Volunteers are asked to bring or donate items such as sanitary wipes, socks, toothpaste, period products, and underwear. Donations will support the Wicomico County Library, Help and Outreach Point of Entry, and other local service organizations. In announcing the new drive, Schablein emphasized the deeper meaning behind the effort: “When acts of inhumanity happen, the best response is acts of humanity. We’re showing that Salisbury’s compassion can’t be stolen.” Despite the setback, organizers say community support has been overwhelming. Donations began arriving within hours of the announcement, and several local groups have offered to distribute supplies once the new kits are complete. The theft is still under investigation by the Salisbury Police Department. As one volunteer put it at the last event, “Community isn’t guaranteed, it’s built.” This Sunday, Salisbury will build it again.

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By CSES Staff • October 8, 2025
What began as a grassroots campaign to preserve a parcel of local land has become one of the most inspiring community movements on the Eastern Shore. Led by residents James and Mikele Dahlen and Holly Campbell, alongside dozens of volunteers, the Save Connelly Mill Park effort reached a significant milestone last week as Maryland Secretary of Natural Resources Josh Kurtz toured the site with local and state officials to explore opportunities for partnership and permanent protection. On Sept. 23, citizens gathered at Connelly Mill Park with a delegation of state and county leaders, including Sen. Mary Beth Carozza, Del. Barry Beauchamp, County Council President John Cannon, Vice President Jeff Merritt, Councilman James Winn, and local municipal representatives from Delmar and Salisbury. The tour marked the strongest signal to date that the state may play an active role in turning the park’s long-promised vision into reality. Advocates for Save Connelly Mill Park presented Kurtz with a booklet outlining the site’s environmental, historical, and economic importance. The presentation highlighted Connelly Mill’s potential to become a keystone of Wicomico’s park system — protecting the Paleochannel aquifer, preserving wildlife habitats, and providing much-needed green space for recreation and community gathering. Located just five miles from Salisbury, the 234-acre property has rolling forest, wetlands, and unique topography that advocates say could one day make it the “Central Park of Wicomico County.” “The natural beauty of Connelly Mill spoke for itself,” said one organizer after the event. “What we have here is not just land, it’s a promise to future generations.” Adding to the momentum, the community’s advocacy materials were presented directly to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore the next day at the Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield, where he was briefed on the citizens’ efforts and growing local support. The proposed park would provide walking trails, open space for families, and educational opportunities while safeguarding vital water resources and promoting mental, physical, and social well-being for county residents. For many, the movement to save Connelly Mill has come to represent more than just one park. It’s about accountability, long-term planning, and ensuring public commitments to community spaces are kept. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” the group shared in a recent update. “But the spotlight is on Connelly Mill, and the momentum is growing.” As the state evaluates whether to designate Connelly Mill as a Partnership Park, supporters say they will continue to meet with officials and rally community engagement to ensure this once-forgotten project finally fulfills its promise. If realized, Connelly Mill would not only protect vital natural resources — it would stand as testament to what determined citizens can build when they refuse to give up.
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