Virgil Maxcy (May 5, 1785 – February 28, 1844) was an American political figure. He was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and spent his adult years in Maryland. He was killed in 1844 in a shipboard accident, when a cannon exploded aboard .
Early life The younger brother of Jonathan Maxcy, Virgil Maxcy was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on May 5, 1785.Edwin L. Green, A History of the University of South Carolina, 1915, page 321Eugene M. Wait, Adams vs. Jackson, 2001, page 92 Jonathan Maxcy, The Literary Remains of the Rev. Jonathan Maxcy, 1844, page 29 He 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.William Giles Goddard, The Political and Miscellaneous Writings of William G. Goddard, Volume 1, 1870, page 432American & Commercial Daily Advertiser (Baltimore), public notice of law office opening, James M. Brown and Virgil Maxcy, September 28, 1809
Author 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.The provincial councillors of Pennsylvania, by Charles Penrose Keith, 1883, p. 339
Maxcy also prepared and distributed The Maryland resolutions, and the objections to them considered (1822), which argued against proposals to appropriate public land for the building of schools and other purposes. The Maryland resolutions, and the objections to them considered, by Virgil Maxcy, 1822, title page
In 1833 he delivered A discourse before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Brown University, a lecture that was published as a pamphlet. A discourse before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Brown University, by Virgil Maxcy, 1833, title page
Political career Originally a Federalist, Maxcy served on Maryland's Executive Council in 1815 and served terms in the Maryland Senate (1817–1821)Virgil Maxcy entry , Archives of Maryland, Historical List, Maryland Senate Member Index, 1777-2000 and the Maryland House of Delegates (1824–1825).Virgil Maxcy entry , Archives of Maryland Historical List, House of Delegates, Anne Arundel County (1790–1974)Belgian-American diplomatic and consular relations 1830-1850, by John W. Rooney, 1969, Vol. 41, p. 84Aggressive Nationalism: McCulloch v. Maryland and the Foundation of Federal Authority in the Young Republic, by Richard E. Ellis, 2007, p. 69
Maxcy later became a Democrat and supported Andrew Jackson for President in 1824 and 1828. When Jackson won the 1828 election, Maxcy's friend John C. Calhoun attempted to have him appointed as Treasurer of the United States, but Jackson and Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D. Ingham decided for political reasons to offer the position to John Campbell.John C. Calhoun and the Price of Union: A Biography, by John Niven, 1993, p. 26 Instead, Maxcy received appointment as Solicitor of the Treasury, where he served from 1830 to 1837.Niles' Weekly Register, August 28, 1830, p. 13Who Was Who in America, published by Marquis Who's Who, 1963, p. 340Report From Virgil Maxcy, Solicitor of the Treasury, on the Case of Francis Cazeau's Representatives, published by U.S. Senate, 1836, title pageThe Political and Miscellaneous Writings of William G. Goddard, by William Giles Goddard, 1870, Vol. 1, p. 432The New York Annual Register, by Edwin Williams, 1833, p. 366
Maxcy was active in the American Colonization Society (ACS), 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.
Also in 1837, President Martin Van Buren named William Haywood as US Chargé d'Affaires in Belgium. Haywood declined the appointment, and Van Buren then named Maxcy, who served until 1842.The Papers of Henry Clay, by Henry Clay, edited by Robert Seager II and Melba Porter Hay, 1988, Vol. 9, p. 39 The literary remains of the Rev. Jonathan Maxcy, by Romeo Elton, 1844, p. 29Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress at the Commencement of the First Session of the Twenty-Seventh Congress, published by US Dept. of State, 1841, p. 133
In February 1844, Maxcy was considered for the position of Secretary of the Navy, but President Tyler appointed Thomas Walker Gilmer instead.Detroit Free Press, Mr. Spencer has resigned the office of Secretary of the U.S. Treasury, February 3, 1844 Gilmer was killed in the same accident that killed Maxcy. James V. Marshall, The United States Manual of Biography and History, 1856, page 482
Death and burial
Maxcy died near Fort Washington, Maryland, on February 28, 1844, as a result of the explosion on board , which also killed five others, including two members of President John Tyler's cabinet. Maxcy was struck by metal shards from the "Peacemaker" cannon, a large artillery piece made by the Hogg & Delamater Ironworks which was being fired as part of a demonstration for visiting dignitaries. According to published accounts, Maxcy lost both arms and a leg in the explosion and was killed instantly.Potter's American Monthly, published by John E. Potter & Co., Philadelphia, 1876, Vol. 6-7, p. 111The Rise of American Democracy: Jefferson to Lincoln, by Sean Wilentz, 2006, p. 566 Congressional report: Accident on Steam-Ship "Princeton", US House of Representatives Committee on Naval Affairs, 1844, p. 1Newspaper article, AWFUL CALAMITY!, Baltimore Sun, February 29, 1844Newspaper article, Further Particulars, Baltimore Sun, March 1, 1844Newspaper article, Heart Rending and Fatal Calamity, originally printed in New York Journal of Commerce, republished in Hartford Times, March 9, 1844Newspaper article, Chronicle of Important Events During the Past Year, Baltimore Sun, January 3, 1845Magazine article, "The beauty and chivalry of the United States assembled …" , by Donald B. Webster, Jr., American Heritage magazine, Vol. 17, Issue 1, December 1965
Maxcy was originally entombed at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C. He was later reinterred at Tulip Hill, a large estate near Annapolis, Maryland, that was owned by his wife's family.This was Potomac River, by Frederick Tilp, 1987, p. 113Wild Rose: The True Story of a Civil War Spy, by Ann Blackman, 2006, p. 131
Personal life Virgil Maxcy was married to Mary Galloway, a member of one of Maryland's most prominent plantation owning families. He was thus a wealthy man, with most of his fortune consisting of slaves and land.Maryland Historical Magazine, published by Maryland Historical Society, 1965, Vol. 60, p. 383Maryland -- A History, 1632-1974, by Maryland Historical Society, 1974, p. 259
The children of Virgil and Mary Galloway Maxcy included Ann (1813–1891), Mary (1812–1878), Cornelia (1815–1823), and Juliana (1816–1818).
Ann Maxcy was the wife of George Wurtz Hughes, who served as a United States representative from Maryland.The Leverett Letters: Correspondence of a South Carolina Family, 1851-1868, edited by Frances Wallace Taylor, Catherine Taylor Matthews and J. Tracy Power, 2000, page 481
Mary Maxcy married Francis Markoe (1801–1872) in 1834. Their children included Francis Markoe (1840–1914), who married Maria Perry Thomas of Talbot County, Maryland and Emilie Maxcy Markoe (1852–1925), who married D. C. F. Rivinus.
Maxcy was a longtime friend of John C. Calhoun. They exchanged frequent letters, many of which have been published.Correspondence of John C. Calhoun, by John Caldwell Calhoun, 1900, Vol. 2, Part 2, p. 791John C. Calhoun: American Portrait, Margaret L. Coit, 1950, p. 209 Community Leadership in Maryland, 1790-1840, by Whitman H. Ridgway, 1979, p.e 345
Legacy
He was the subject of a biography, 1981's A Federalist Converted: The Life of Virgil Maxcy of Maryland, 1785-1844, by Michael Cullen Reis.A Federalist Converted: The Life of Virgil Maxcy of Maryland, 1785-1844, by Michael Cullen Reis, published by George Washington University, title page
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. In the letter to William Blanding of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, Maxcy reminisces about sharing a bed with Blanding, including the line "Sometimes I think I have got hold of your doodle when in reality I have hold of the bedpost."
References
External links Find A Grave page, Virgil Maxcy, accessed April 2, 2011. Political Graveyard page, Virgil Maxcy, accessed April 2, 2011. Newspaper article, Living History: William and Patrice Chaney at Home in Maryland’s Past, by Margaret Tearman, Bay Weekly, Volume 15, Issue 29 ~ July 19–25, 2007