Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland

Sir Robert Eden, Bt
Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland
Royal Governor of Maryland
In office 1769–1776
Preceded by	Horatio Sharpe
Succeeded by	Thomas Johnson (as Governor of Maryland)
Personal details
Born	14 September 1741 Durham, England
Died	2 September 1784 Annapolis, Maryland
Political party	Loyalist
Spouse(s)	Caroline Calvert
Relations	Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore (father-in-Law)
Occupation	politician
Religion	Anglican

Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland, 23rd Proprietary Governor of Maryland (c. 1741 – 2 September 1784) was a British colonial official and the last Royal Governor of Maryland. Although a popular governor and an able administrator, Eden's authority was overthrown by the events of the American Revolution, and in June 1776 he was invited by the Maryland Convention to leave for England. Eden was well-regarded at home and in the same year, 1776, he was made a baronet. He eventually returned to Maryland where he died in 1784 at the age of 43. He was buried in Annapolis and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Frederick, a noted author.

Eden was born in Durham, England, on 14 September 1741, the second son of Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet, of West Auckland, and the brother of William Eden, 1st Baron Auckland and Morton Eden, 1st Baron Henley and a relative of North Carolina Governor Charles Eden.

In 1763 Eden made an advantageous marriage, wedding the Hon. Caroline Calvert, daughter of Maryland's proprietor Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore. In 1766 Caroline bore a son, Frederick. Three years later, in 1769, aged just 28, Robert Eden succeeded Horatio Sharpe as Governor of Maryland, the highest office in the Province. As Governor, Eden would attempt to maintain authority over the increasingly rebellious Province during the tumultuous years preceding the American Revolution.