Ezekiel Chambers papers

Ezekiel Forman Chambers (1788-1867) was born February 28th in Chestertown, Maryland to Gen. Benjamin Chambers (1749-1816) and Elizabeth Forman Chambers (1762- ). He attended Yale University and then studied law; he was admitted to the bar in 1808. He served during the War of 1812 starting as a Captain and attaining the rank of Brigadier General. He fought at the Battle of Caulk’s Field in 1814. After the war, he moved on to politics and was elected to fill Edward Lloyd’s seat in the United States Senate in 1826. He was reelected and served until he resigned in 1834. After his time in the Senate, he served as a judge in Maryland’s Court of Appeals from 1834 to 1851. He never fully left politics and made a failed bid as the Democratic candidate for Governor of Maryland in 1864. With his deep ties to Chestertown, served on the Board of Visitors & Governors of Washington College for many years. He married Sarah Bower in 1817 and had four daughters. Chambers passed in Chestertown on January 30, 1867. Until the passing of the thirteenth amendment Chambers owned slaves and held a reputation as a cruel owner.