George Henry Calvert

George Henry Calvert (January 2, 1803 – May 24, 1889) was an American editor, essayist, dramatist, poet, and biographer. He was the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the newly established College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Baltimore, and in 1854 he served as Mayor of Newport, Rhode Island.

Biography

Calvert was born January 2, 1803, in Prince George County, Maryland. His mother, Rosalie Eugenia Stier (1778–1821), was the daughter of a wealthy Belgian aristocrat, Baron Henri Joseph Stier (1743–1821) and his wife Marie Louise Peeters. His father, George Calvert (1768–1838), was the son of Benedict Swingate Calvert – a natural son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore – and his wife Elizabeth Calvert (1731–1788).

George Calvert was the Calverts' eldest son. He grew up in Maryland, graduated from Harvard College in 1823, and studied in Germany where in March 1825 he met the poet Goethe. Returning to Baltimore, he edited the Baltimore American. In 1840 he made another trip to Europe, meeting William Wordsworth. In 1843, Calvert moved to Newport, Rhode Island.

Marriage

On May 11, 1829, George Calvert married Elizabeth Steuart (1802–1897). His father was opposed to the match on the grounds that Elizabeth, the daughter of Baltimore physician James Steuart, had little property to her name. However a compromise was eventually reached and, after a suitable delay, the couple were married at the Steuart house in West Baltimore, Maryland Square.

George and Elizabeth had no children.

Academia and politics

In 1830, Calvert was appointed the Chair of Moral Philosophy at the newly established College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Baltimore.