Wherefore it having reached our ears that in the flourishing commonwealth of the Thirteen American States many faithful Christians united in communion with the chair of Peter, in which the centre of Catholic unity is fixed…earnestly desire that a Bishop may be appointed over them…We willingly embraced this opportunity which the grace of Almighty God has afforded us to provide those distant regions with the comfort and ministry of a Catholic Bishop.

A Short Account of the Establishment of the New See of Baltimore in Maryland…,
page 12 - 13, printed 1790.
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925

Archbishop John Carroll,
Gilbert Stuart, artist,
reproduced in Social Life in the Early Republic in
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925

On August 15, 1790, Reverend John Carroll became the first Catholic bishop in the United States of America. He was born in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in 1735 and was the brother of Daniel Carroll, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

After receiving a Jesuit education at Bohemia in Cecil County, Maryland, he studied abroad at Jesuit colleges in Europe. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1769 and remained in Europe teaching philosophy and theology. But when Pope Clement XIV dissolved the Jesuit order in 1773, he returned to Maryland, built a chapel on his mother's estate at Rock Creek, and began the life of a missionary. He refused to accept an assignment elsewhere by Father John Lewis, former Superior of the Jesuits in Maryland.

After the Revolutionary War, a series of events took place at Sacred Heart Chapel at Whitemarsh in Bowie, Maryland which led to the selection of John Carroll as bishop. On June 27, 1783, six priests, including Fr. Carroll, met at Sacred Heart Chapel to discuss how the Catholic Church in the new nation would be governed and organized. Out of this and subsequent meetings, they developed rules and regulations for the "Body of the Clergy." They also established a Board of Trustees to administer the Catholic properties, and petitioned the Vatican in Rome to appoint Father John Lewis as Superior of the American Missions. Because of Fr. Lewis' old age, and through the influence of Benjamin Franklin, the Vatican instead appointed John Carroll.

Sacred Heart Church at Whitemarsh,
Bowie, Maryland,
Jack Boucher, photographer,
June 26, 1990
Built in America: Historic Building and Engineering, 1933-Present

In this period after the American Revolution, Carroll and his fellow priests were concerned that the American Catholic Church would be perceived by other Americans as an agent of a foreign power--the Pope in Rome. Since the United States was a former British colony, the Pope's representative in London, the Vicar Apostolic, had direct authority over the American Catholic Church. Carroll and the other priests wanted to address this issue, so a second set of meetings was held at Sacred Heart Chapel. Out of these meetings emerged the need for a Bishop who was American and, in the spirit of the new American nation, elected in a democratic fashion by American priests--rather than appointed by the Pope. On March 12, 1788, Frs. Carroll, Molyneux, and Ashton sent a petition to the Vatican seeking permission for the North American Clergy to elect one of their own. The petition was approved and on May 18, 1789, the priests met once again at Sacred Heart where they elected John Carroll bishop with twenty-four votes. Two other candidates, Ignatius Matthews and Henry Pile, received two votes.

Carroll travelled to England where he was consecrated a bishop on August 15, 1790 at Lulworth Castle, England--home of his good friend Thomas Weld. Bishop Carroll returned to Baltimore on December 7, 1790 where he took up residence and preached his first sermon in St. Peter's church. Baltimore was chosen to be the seat of the Catholic Church in America because

...this town situate in Maryland which province the greater part of the priests and of the faithful inhabit, appeared the most conveniently placed for intercourse with the other States, and because from this province Catholic religion and faith had been propagated into the others.

A Short Account of the Establishment of the New See of Baltimore in Maryland,…
p. 14, printed 1790.
The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925

Learn more about the role of religion in Maryland and the nation:

• The Capital and the Bay, ca. 1600-1925 contains more information about John Carroll and the beginnings of the Catholic Church in America. A search of catholic will find many references to catholics in the chesapeake region. Search carroll to find members of the Carroll family, or refine your search to John Carroll or Daniel Carroll. Other well-known families from the chesapeake region include Calvert, Claggett, Digges, Simms, Brent, Fenwick and Neale. Many members of these families also were anglican or episcopalian. Search these terms as well as those of other religious faiths.
• Upper Marlboro was also the birthplace of Thomas John Claggett, the first Episcopalian Bishop in the United States. Search Upper Marlboro Maryland in Built in America: Historic Building and Engineering, 1933-Present to find images of the church he founded, Trinity Episcopal Church, as well as other churches and architectural structures in the Upper Marlboro area.
• For a thorough introduction to the role religion played in the founding of the American colonies, visit the online exhibition Religion and the Founding of the American Republic. Highlighted are over 200 objects including early American books, manuscripts, letters, prints, paintings, artifacts, and music. Scroll to the middle of the America as Refuge section to find a richly-illustrated history of Roman Catholics in Maryland.
• The meetings at Sacred Heart Chapel also discussed the establishment of a school in Georgetown for the training of the Catholic clergy. See Today in History for July 31 to read about Georgetown University and its transformation from a small school to a modern university. There are also Today in History features on Maryland Day, on one of Carroll's successors, James Cardinal Gibbons, and on Benjamin Franklin.

Florence Kling Harding

I owe allegiance to only one boss—and she sits right over there in that box. She's a mighty good one too.

Warren G. Harding, campaign speech, 1910;
quoted in Lewis L. Gould, editor,
American First Ladies
(New York: Garland Pub., 1996)

Mrs. Warren G. Harding,
between 1920 and 1923.
Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-present

Florence Kling Harding, first lady during the Harding administration (1921-1923), was born on August 15, 1860. An outspoken supporter of women's suffrage, Mrs. Harding cast her ballot in the presidential campaign of 1920 for her husband. She was the first American first lady afforded tha right, as the Nineteenth Amendment had been ratified the previous summer.

The eldest child of a prosperous Marion, Ohio capitalist, Florence Kling learned about business from her father. After Warren Harding suffered a nervous breakdown in 1892, she put these skills to work by taking over his duties as owner/operator of the Marion Daily Star. "I went down there intending to help out for a few days" she later recalled, "and stayed fourteen years." Under Mrs. Harding's control, the floundering newspaper prospered.

A mother, wife, and business manager, Frances Kling Harding was one of the first women to bring a professional identity to the role of first lady. In 1914, Harding entered the Senate race at her urging. When Harding was nominated as the Republican candidate for President in 1920, "The Duchess," as he referred to his wife, campaigned enthusiastically for his election. "I have only one real hobby—my husband," said Mrs. Harding. President Harding openly acknowledged the importance of his wife to his political success.

President Warren G. Harding With His Wife in Garden.
October 25, 1920.
Prints and Photographs Division

During President Woodrow Wilson's illness the White House had been closed to the public. Mrs. Harding reopened the house and gardens and presided over a crowded social calendar, graciously performing her ceremonial duties as First Lady. The Hardings frequently gave garden parties for First World War veterans and were the first presidential couple to regularly show films after dinner to their White House guests. In her personal style and enthusiasm for automobiles and airplane adventures, Florence Kling Harding embodied the exuberant spirit of the 1920s.

When President Harding died in San Francisco in August 2, 1923, Mrs. Harding accompanied her husband's body back across country by train as Vice President Calvin Coolidge assumed the presidency. Florence Kling Harding passed away on November 21, 1924.

Florence Kling Harding Seated at Desk with Another Woman
between 1920 and 1923.

Mrs. Warren G. Harding Standing With Soldier at Walter Reed Hospital,
March 30, 1921.

Indians Visit Mrs. Harding,
1923.
Prints and Photographs Division

Philippine Women Received by First Lady.
1922.
The wives of the Philippine delegation…were received by Mrs. Harding at the White House. In the center of the group are Mrs. Harding and Mme. Jaime De Veyra.
Prints and Photographs Division

Learn more about the life and times of Florence Kling Harding:

• Search the collection Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies, 1789-Present on Harding and the names of other Presidents to find more images of the first couple.
• Search the Prints and Photographs Online Catalog on Harding to view more images of First Lady Florence Harding and President Warren Harding.
• Learn more about the woman President Harding called "The Duchess." Visit the White House presentation on Florence Kling Harding.
• Think you know your first lady facts? Test your knowledge with Who's that Lady???, a learning activity from the American Memory Learning Page.
• Learn more about the campaign for woman suffrage in the United States. Visit the American Memory collection Votes for Women, 1848-1921 or search on suffrage in the Today in History Archive.
• Search the collection Architecture and Design for 20th Century America, 1935-1955 on Warren Harding to find photographs of the Harding residence in Marion, Ohio.
• Emergence of Advertising in America, 1850-1920 presents over 9,000 images relating to the early history of advertising in the United States. Search on the years of the Harding presidential campaign and administration — 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923 — to find advertizing images targeting consumers of that era. See, for example, adds for the Kodak camera, Lever Brothers Lux laundry flakes, and a product billboard for Cutex nail care.