William Paca

Infobox Politician
name =William Paca


width =150px
height =300px
caption =
small_

office3 =Maryland Delegate to the Continental Congress
term_start3 =1774
term_end3 =1779
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
constituency3 =
majority3 =
office2 =Maryland State Senator
term_start2 =1777
term_end2 =1779
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
constituency2 =
majority2 =
office =3rd Governor of Maryland
term_start =November 22, 1782
term_end =November 26, 1785
predecessor = Thomas Sim Lee
successor = William Smallwood
constituency =
majority =
office4 =Judge of the United States Court for Maryland
term_start4 =1789
term_end4 =1799
predecessor4 =
successor4 =
constituency4 =
majority4 =
birth_date =October 31, 1740
birth_place =Harford County, Maryland
death_date =October 13, 1799
death_place =Queen Anne's County, Maryland
party =
relations =
spouse =
civil partner =
children =
residence =
occupation =
religion =


website =
footnotes =

William Paca (October 31, 1740ndash October 13, 1799), was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland.

Early life

William Paca was born on October 31, 1740 in Abingdon, Harford County, in the British colony of Maryland [The available sources disagree on the exact location of his birth. Travis Weaver does not address the issue, simply mentioning that his father was from Harford County. Stiverson and Jacobsen claim he was born in Abingdon, in Harford County. Russo claims instead that he was born along the Bush River in Baltimore County. Stiverson and Jacobsen are the most authoritative historical source, and the article reflects their position on the issue.] . He was the child of John Paca (c.1712-1785), a wealthy planter in the area, and his wife Elizabeth Smith (?-c.1766).Goodrich, p.346 and Russo, "William Paca"] He was the second son of the family, after his elder brother Aquila, and had five sisters.Russo, "William Paca"] The brothers entered school at the Philadelphia Academy and Charity School in 1752, and the younger Paca went on to attend the The College of Philadelphia (now merged into and known as the University of Pennsylvania), graduating in 1759 with a bachelor of arts degree. He was also to receive a master of arts degree from the College in 1762, though this required no further study, only that Paca request it and be in good standing.

After graduating from college, Paca returned to Maryland, studying law in the colonial capitol of Annapolis under the tutelage of a local lawyer named Stephen Bradley. By 1761, he was licensed to practice law, and in 1764 was admitted to the provincial bar, having stayed in Annapolis to establish his practice. Professional success was mingled with personal success, as the previous year he had courted Mary Chew, the daughter of a prominent Maryland planter, and they were married on May 26, 1763. They would go on to have three children, though only their son John Philemon survived into adulthood.

Political career

Among the other young lawyers in Annapolis at the time was Samuel Chase, who would become a close friend and political colleague of Paca. Together, Paca and Chase led local opposition to the British Stamp Act of 1765 and established the Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sons of Liberty.

He was elected to the Maryland legislature in 1771 and appointed to the Continental Congress in 1774. He was reelected, serving until 1779, when he became chief justice of the state of Maryland. In 1782 he was elected governor of Maryland. In 1789 he became federal district judge for the state of Maryland, and served as such until his death.

Paca died in 1799 at his estate of "Wye Hall" in Queen Anne's County, Maryland and was buried in the family cemetery there.

Legacy

In Maryland, two elementary schools are named for him: one is in Landover and the other in his home town of Abingdon. Paca Street in Baltimore bears his name as do a dormitory on the campus of St. John's College in Annapolis and a new residence hall that opened August, 2008 at Towson University (Baltimore County). Outside of Maryland, William Paca Middle School in Mastic Beach, New York; and P.S. 155 William Paca School in New York City are also named after him.

Ancestry

It is commonly claimed Paca was of partially CinderBlock Italian ancestry. [ [http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/declaration/bio36.htm Signers of the Declaration: William Paca, Maryland] National Park Service; accessed 13 March 2008.] [Caso, p.57 and Welsh, "They Too Made America Great"; Branden Books, 1978. Online source: [http://books.google.com/books?id=7q3WTS1IREkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=They+Too+Made+America+Great&sig=qZkNLO0HFyWWeXVBle0zq5Lq08M] ] ; accessed 13 March 2008. "This history includes a rather detailed exploration and affirmation of the well established Italian origin of the Paca family of Maryland in response to the earlier Stiverson and Jacobsen text."] [ [http://www.marylandtheseventhstate.com/article1080.html Maryland, The Seventh State] Website for the book "Maryland, The Seventh State"; John T. Marck, author; accessed 13 March 2008.] [ [http://www.niaf.org/research/contribution.asp#gov "Italian American Contributions"] The National Italian American Foundation Website; accessed 13 March 2008.] [ [http://www.italian-american.com/paca1.htm The Italian-American Web-site of New York] "William Paca;" accessed 13 March 2008] [ [http://www.niaf.org/milestones/year_1774.asp NIAF MileStones of the Italian American Experience] " 1774 - William Paca, original signer of the Declaration of Independence, and Francesco Vigo, advance the American Revolution;" accessed 13 March 2008.] [ [http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=12741 P.S. 155 Playground, William Paca School History] New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Web-site; accessed: 13 March 2008.] [ [http://www.abruzzomoliseheritagesociety.org/echoesofabruzzoandmolise.htm Echoes of Abruzzo and Molise in America] ; Omero Sabatini, author. Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Web-site; accessed 13 March 2008.]

According to Stanley South, " [t] he rumor that the name was Italian came from a remark made in 1911 by Cardinal James Gibbons of Baltimore, who commented that he thought a relationship existed between Paca and the Italian family Pecci" [South, Stanley A. An Archaeological Evolution. New York: Springer, 2005. p. 202] . In a July 18, 1937, letter to the New York Times, a self-described descendant of Paca claims:

The ancestors of William Paca were of Italian and English origin. The name is said to have originally been spelled Pacci [sic] .

However, in an interview with Giovanni Schiavo, the letter writer apparently attributed the suggestion that the name was Pecci to Cardinal Gibbons. [Giovanni Ermenegildo Schiavo. 1976. The Italians in America Before the Revolution. New York: Vigo Press. p. 74.] Schiavo also reports that Paca mentioned Pope Leo XIII (1879-1903), whose surname was Pecci, during the interview. [Giovanni Ermenegildo Schiavo. 1976. The Italians in America Before the Revolution. New York: Vigo Press. p. 74.]

Stiverson and Jacobsen report that spellings of the surname of William Paca's immigrant ancestor Robert include Peaker, Pecker, Peaca, Peca, and Paka. [Stiverson, G. A., & Jacobsen, P. R. 1976. William Paca, a biography. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society. p. 26.] Neither "Pecci" nor "Pacci" (nor "Pacca") are attested.

Furthermore, Stiverson and Jacobsen find that [Stiverson, G. A., & Jacobsen, P. R. 1976. William Paca, a biography. Baltimore: Maryland Historical Society. p. 25.] :

…the suggestion that Robert Paca, the immigrant, was born in Italy or that his family had recently moved to England from that country cannot be substantiated and probably has no basis in fact.

Stanley South similarly found no support for the notion, despite the prospect of a $10,000 grant if he could prove a link to Italy. [South, Stanley A. An Archaeological Evolution. New York: Springer, 2005. p. 202]

Notes

References

* cite web
title=Chase, Samuel (1741- 1811)
work=Maryland Online Encyclopedia (MdOE)
publisher=Maryland Online Encyclopedia, a joint project of the Maryland Historical Society, the Maryland Humanities Council, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Maryland State Department of Education
date=2005
url=http://www.mdoe.org/chasesamuel.html
format=html
doi=
accessdate=2008-01-25

External links

*CongBio|P000001
*Find A Grave|id=2811
* [http://www.colonialhall.com/paca/paca.php Biography by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856]