Charles Carroll of Carrollton
| Charles Carroll | |
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United States Senator from Maryland |
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In office March 4, 1789 – November 30, 1792 |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Richard Potts |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 19, 1737 Annapolis, Province of Maryland, British America |
| Died | November 14, 1832 (aged 95) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Darnall |
| Alma mater |
College of St. Omer Lycée Louis-le-Grand |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Signature |  |
Charles Carroll (September 19, 1737 – November 14, 1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles Carroll III to distinguish him from his similarly named relatives, was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and Confederation Congress and later as first United States Senator for Maryland. He was the only Catholic and the longest-lived (and last surviving) signatory of the Declaration of Independence, dying 56 years after the document was first signed.
The Carroll family were descendants of the Ó Cearbhaill lords of Éile (Lords of Ely) in King's County (now County Offaly), Ireland. Carroll's grandfather was the Irish-born Charles Carroll the Settler (1660–1720) from Litterluna; he was a descendant of Daniel O'Carroll of Aghagurty Clareen, three miles south of Kinnitty, and a clerk in the office of Lord Powis. Carroll left his native Ireland (King's County) around the year 1659, and emigrated to St. Mary's City, capital of the colony of Maryland, in 1689, with a commission as Attorney General from the colony's Catholic proprietor, Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore.
Charles Carroll the Settler was the son of Daniel O'Carroll of Litterluna. The "O'" in Irish surnames was often dropped due to the Anglicisation policy of the occupying English, particularly during the period of the "Penal Laws". Charles Carroll the Settler had a son, born in 1702 and also named Charles. To distinguish himself from his father he was known as Charles Carroll of Annapolis.
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