Paca, William, 1740-1799

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William Paca (October 31, 1740 – October 13, 1799) was a Founding Father of the United States who was a signatory to the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence. He was a Maryland delegate to the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress, Governor of Maryland, and a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Born in Abingdon, Maryland, Paca entered school at the Philadelphia Academy and Charity School in 1752, and went on to attend the College of Philadelphia (now the University of Pennsylvania), earning Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees there. He also attended the Inner Temple in London, England and read law in 1761 and was admitted to the bar that year. Paca entered private practice in Annapolis, Province of Maryland, starting in 1763.

Paca was a member of the lower house of the Maryland Proprietary Assembly from 1767 to 1774. He was a delegate to the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress from Maryland from 1774 to 1779. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was a member of the Maryland Senate from 1776 to 1777, and from 1778 to 1780. He was a Judge of the Maryland General Court in 1778. He was a Judge of the Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture from 1780 to 1782. He was Governor of Maryland from 1782 to 1785. He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1786. He was influential in establishing Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland in 1786. He was a delegate to the Maryland State Convention of 1788, to vote whether Maryland should ratify the proposed Constitution of the United States.

Paca received a recess appointment from President George Washington on December 22, 1789, to the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He was nominated to the same position by President Washington on February 8, 1790. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on February 10, 1790, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on October 13, 1799, due to his death at his estate of Wye River, in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and was interred in a family cemetery on the estate.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Paca, William. Autograph letter signed : to Rev. William White, 1783 Jun. 27. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Paca, William. Autograph document signed : to Mr. Aquila Brown, 1795 Dec. 12. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952,. Signers of the Declaration of Independence autograph collection, 1756-1818. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
creatorOf Paca, William, 1740-1799. AL, 1781 November 2 : Talbot Courthouse, In Special Council, to John Voorhees. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
referencedIn Benjamin Franklin Papers Part 8 -- Letters to Franklin, 1783 December-1786 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Letters and documents of signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1750-1933. Houghton Library
referencedIn George Washington papers, 1592-1943 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Paca, William, 1740-1799. [Letters, Dec. 12, 1778-April 30, 1786] [microform]. Princeton University Library
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Jared Sparks collection of American manuscripts, 1582-1843 Houghton Library
referencedIn Signers collection, 1770-1826. Johns Hopkins University, Sheridan Libraries and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library
referencedIn Henry A. Willard II Collection, 1743-1888, (bulk 1770-1840) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Washington, George, 1732-1799. George Washington papers, 1592-1937 (bulk 1748-1799). Library of Congress
creatorOf Gwathmey collection, 1708-1852 University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Forensic Club (Annapolis, Md.). Rules and Minutes of the Forensic Club, 1759, Oct. 26 - 1767, Mar. 2. Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens
creatorOf Paca, William, 1740-1799. Letters, 1782-1783. Duke University Libraries, Duke University Library; Perkins Library
creatorOf Paca, William, 1740-1799. Letter to James Brice, 1783 November 25. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Paca, William. Document signed, 1774 Jun. 26. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Church, Thomas. Petition : to the governor and Council of Maryland, 1783 June 4. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn George Washington papers, 1592-1943 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Galvan, major. [Letter to Richard Peters, dated July 8, 1781 [microform] describing the action between Cornwallis and Lafayette at Green Spring, Va.]. Princeton University Library
creatorOf Paca, William, 1740-1799. Papers of William Paca, 1784-1789. Library of Congress
referencedIn Thomas Addis Emmet collection, 1483-1876 (bulk:1700-1800) New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf Maryland. Governor (1782-1785 : Paca). Draft, 1784 Jan. 16, to Thomas Johnson, Jr. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Maryland Manuscripts Collection, 1664-1981, 1664-1981 University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn Dawes Collection of Documents on American History, 1681-1921 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Collection of documents concerning the American Revolution, 1740-1866 Houghton Library
creatorOf Paca, William. Autograph letter signed : to Rev. Dr. White, 1787 Feb. 3. Pierpont Morgan Library.
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Brice, James, person
associatedWith Brown, Aquila, person
associatedWith Church, Thomas. person
associatedWith Dawes, Elizabeth F., collector. person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
associatedWith Emmet, Thomas Addis person
associatedWith Forensic Club (Annapolis, Md.) corporateBody
associatedWith Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790 person
associatedWith Galvan, major. person
associatedWith Hubbard, John, collector. person
alumnusOrAlumnaOf Inner Temple (London, England) corporateBody
associatedWith Longacre, James Barton, 1794-1869. person
memberOf Maryland. General Assembly. House of Delegates corporateBody
memberOf Maryland. General Assembly. Senate corporateBody
associatedWith Maryland. Governor (1782-1785 : Paca) corporateBody
associatedWith Maryland. Governor (1782-1785 : Paca) corporateBody
associatedWith Maverick, Peter, 1780-1831. person
associatedWith Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952, person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
employeeOf United States. District Court (Maryland) corporateBody
alumnusOrAlumnaOf University of Pennsylvania. corporateBody
associatedWith Voorhees, John. person
correspondedWith Washington, George, 1732-1799. person
associatedWith White, person
associatedWith White, William, person
associatedWith Willard, Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1902- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Philadelphia PA US
Queen Anne's County MD US
Annapolis MD US
Anne Arundel County MD US
Abingdon MD US
London ENG GB
Subject
Occupation
City council members
Delegates, U.S. Continental Congress
Governors
Jurists
Lawyers
Public officials
Activity

Person

Birth 1740-10-31

Death 1799-10-23

Male

Britons,

Americans

English

Information

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