William Paca - MD Signer of the Declaration of Independence

William Paca lived from 1740 to 1799 and is buried in the family graveyard at Wye Plantation - which was owned by his descendants until the 1930's.

He was a lawyer by trade, attended the Inner Temple in London and earned his MA from the College of Philadelphia.

He was close friends with another signer Samuel Chase and they found the Sons of Liberty chapter in Annapolis. He served in the Lower House of the Maryland Assembly and also in the Annapolis Common Council. With Chase he would stage a protest by hanging an Act that regulated tobacco and some government fees at the gallows. They waited until it was dead, placed it in a coffin and buried it under the gallows then celebrated with the crowd by firing several guns from a schooner.

He along with Chase would be elected to the First and Second Continental Congress as well as sign the Declaration of Independence.

Paca was embroiled in some controversy during his time in Congress due to the birth of two illegitimate daughters born to two different black women. One does not appear to have survived childhood and the other lived to adulthood and married. Paca would provide support to them and educated both girls.

He also served as Governor of Maryland as well as a judge in the different Maryland courts. He supported the ratification of the Constitution based on including a Bill of Rights.

Upon the establishment of the new government, he would be appointed to the Federal District Court.

All of his private papers were destroyed in a fire at the Wye Plantation in 1879.

Fun Fact - he was at least 6 feet tall and rather portly.