El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-04
FIRST AMERICAN SUFFRAGET
Margaret Brent, Sweetheart of Gov
ernOr Calvert, Advocated
Equal Franchise.

. he most daring and vigorous

~ he most daring and vigorous
force in the early history of
l. Maryland was Margaret Brent,
the sweetheart. some say the cousin. of
Leonard Calvert, governor of Mary
land, the brother of lord Baltimore.
Leonard Calvert came to America in
1854, with over 500 cOlOnists. Margaret
tcame four years later, from England,
with her brothers and were received
with honor, one Of the brothers, Giles,
was advanced constantly, until in 1913,
when Leonard Calvert was called to
England, he was made acting governor.
He was an ordinary man to be. so sig
nally honOred above others more de-
serving. Margaret's influence with the
governor explained the high favor.
Margaret schOoled herself in the in
tricacies of English law regarding es-
tates and decedents. She bought and
sold property. signing herself "attOr-
ney for my brother"
PerSistently refusing to be WOoed
and won, she ruled with queenly sway
her little court at st. Mary's. Brainy,
courageous, capable. tactful, pleasing
and fascinating. she became the Vir
tual ruler of Maryland
Succeeds to Governors Estate.
Governor Calvert, forced by invading
pirates to flee from Virginia, Mar
garet remained in Maryland and looked
after the estates of both her family and
that of Calvert's Returning two years
later, he died soon after. He was
bachelor and on his death bed sur
Margaret Brent he pointed to Margaret.
that all might see. and made his short
will I make you my sole eXecutriX;
take all and pay all" After this in
structiOn he asked that ALL except Mar
garet, leave the room Margaret carried
out to the letter the command, Take
all and pay all" There was some dis
pute as to her title to the house. This
was the first thing she took, and with
out waiting for the close of the dis
pute she acted quickly upon the old
% nv d lob serHr wnHw
points" Then she gathered together all
the governors property and managed
it to suit herself
Appointed "executriX" she had the
right to succeed Leonard Calvert as
lord BaltiTOre's attorney. She paid all
the debts and now received all the
profits Of the estate. The cOlonists
were astounded- They questioned the
legality of her claims and the provincial
court won by her powers of persuasion,
interpreted her rights in accordance
with her wishes.
She next asserted her claims to a
seat and vote in the general assembly
Did not Leonard Calvert in his life
time as lord BaltimOre's attorney have
the right to vote and now since Leon
ard Calvert is dead. and she has sue
ceeded his lOrdships attorney is it
not right that the seat and vote should
pass to her. As eXecutrix she was en-
titled to a vote in that capacity. and
therefore. she argued that she had the
right to two votes, a right no man had
ever dreamed OF. TWO FCre-. one Tor a
foreign lord, who had never authorized
her to act for him. and the other for
a dead man whose only instruction
was, take all and pay all"
Aspires To Be In Assembly.
The first time in an American court,
Jan q, 164S, a woman's claim was
made to sit and vote in a legislative
assembly, and the men were ready to
yield to her forceful appeal, but gov
ernOr Green, who looked upon Mar
garet Brent rs his most dangerous RI
val gained sufficient control of his
assemblymen. for he knew if she got
seat in that house his job would be
gone, for it had been whispered that
she would make n better governor than
Green.
She failed in getting a vote, but sue
ceeded in writing herself down in his
tory as the first woman in America to
advocate equal franchise and proved
herself to be the ablest man among the
cOlOniStS of Maryland. She was never
denied anything by the general assem-
bly, but her right to vote.
Thomas White, another MARYLAND
man, left her his whole estate as a
proof of his love and affection and
of his constant wish to marry her"
This remarkably interesting colonial
dame passed from public view at IS
years of age, the most business like
and self reliant woman of her day who
loved the public good. minded her own
affairs, as well as those OF her neigh
bors.