Carroll 250 Event: The Maryland Constitution – An Historical View of Carroll County

Join us on Thursday, June 25 to hear the Honorable Joseph Getty give this informative talk about the Maryland Constitution at Exploration Commons in Westminster.

After the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, Maryland was one of the first states to adopt a state constitution.  The Maryland Constitutional Convention (the Ninth Provincial Convention) met in Annapolis during the summer and fall of 1776 and completed its work on Nov. 11, 1776.  The Maryland Constitution served as a model for other states and, eleven years later, for the delegates to the Constitutional Convention for the United States during the summer of 1787.  Subsequent constitution conventions were held in 1851, 1864, 1867 and 1967, although the proposed constitution in 1967 was rejected by the voters.  In this presentation, historian Joe Getty will discuss Carroll County leaders – David Shriver, John E. Smith, William Pickney Maulsby, Mary B. Shellman, Mary Bryson and Richard Dixon – who have served in roles significant to the development and amendment of the Maryland Constitution.

About the speaker:

Joseph M. Getty served as Chief Judge, Court of Appeals (now the Supreme Court of Maryland) from September 2021, to April 2022. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals of Maryland in 2016. Prior to his appointment, he served as Chief Legislative Officer for Governor Larry Hogan. He was elected to the Maryland Senate in 2010 and 2014 (District 5, Carroll and Baltimore Counties) and to the Maryland House of Delegates (District 5, Carroll County) in 1994 and 1998. His legislative career includes many committee and workgroup assignments on Maryland legal affairs including the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee and House Judiciary Committee. From 2003-2007, he served in the executive branch as policy director to Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. He is a graduate of Washington College (B.A.), the George Washington University, (M.A.) and the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D.).  He currently serves as a Senior Justice and sits on appellate cases in the Supreme Court and Appellate Court of Maryland.

Registration will be required for this event. A link to register with Carroll County Public Library will be posted shortly. 

Questions? Please call Laura Bankard, Outreach