William Joseph (governor)
| William Joseph | |
|---|---|
| Proprietary Governor of Maryland | |
|
In office 1688–1689 |
|
| Preceded by | Benedict Calvert |
| Succeeded by | John Coode |
| Personal details | |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
William Joseph was the 11th Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1688 to 1689. He was appointed by the colony's proprietor Charles Calvert, 3rd Baron Baltimore. Joseph attempted to maintain control of the colony in the proprietor's name, but religious turmoil related to the Glorious Revolution in England led to Joseph's being removed from office by Protestant colonists and the Calvert family losing control of the colony.
The Catholic Calvert family established Maryland as a place where English Catholics, who were a religious minority, could find religious tolerance. However, many of the colonists who arrived in Maryland were Protestant. In 1681, Protestant colonists, especially members of the Anglican Church, began a series of local rebellions against proprietary control by Calvert. Calvert appointed Joseph in the hope that he would be able to stop these rebellions.
It is not clear whether Joseph was actually appointed Governor or the head of the colony's Council of Deputy Governors. Legally, the Governor of the colony from 1684 was Calvert's young son, Benedict Leonard Calvert. However, executive power in the colony was for all practical purposes led by the Council, which included a number of prominent colonists. Despite this, the State of Maryland includes Joseph on their list of proprietary Governors.
By the time Joseph arrived in Maryland, religious conflict in England had reached a peak during the events of the Glorious Revolution, in which the Catholic King James II was overthrown and replaced with the Protestant William of Orange. It would take time for this news to arrive in the colony. Joseph, an Irishman and like Calvert a Catholic, was a strong supporter of the King. Soon after his arrival, he asked the Assembly to create a holiday on the date of the birth of James II's heir. He also implemented a number of unpopular reforms at the request of the proprietor. Export of tobacco was limited to high-quality cask tobacco more easily produced by large landholders. In addition, Calvert had ordered that all future tax payments were to be made in specie rather than in tobacco.
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