John H. Bayne Explained

John H. Bayne
Order:Maryland Senate
Term Start:December 1861
Term End:1864
Predecessor:John B. Brooke
Successor:Daniel Clarke
Order2:Maryland House of Delegates
Term2:1841
Birth Date:15 February 1804
Birth Place:Spaldings District, Prince George's County, Maryland, U.S.
Residence:Salubria plantation
Resting Place:St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Cemetery, Temple Hills, Maryland
Children:4

John Henry Bayne (1804–1870) was a Maryland politician and doctor who served in the state House of Delegates and state senate. Despite being a slaveholder and defender of chattel slavery, Bayne served as a surgeon and brevet colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War. By 1864, he viewed it impossible to maintain slavery and the Union, and he encouraged Maryland to abolish slavery in its new constitution.[1]

Bayne was owner of the Salubria plantation near Oxon Hill, Prince George's County, Maryland. He was elected as a Whig to represent Prince George's in the House of Delegates' 1841 session.[2] A year later, he became a justice of the peace. From December 1861 to 1864, he represented Prince George's in the state senate as a Unionist.[3] Both as a delegate and as a private citizen, Bayne was a strong advocate for slaveholders and in particular advocated for government action to prevent enslaved people from escaping bondage.[4]

Bayne was also a noted horticulturist, writing extensively about the cultivation of strawberries and tomatoes, among other fruits. He reportedly had more than 15,000 fruit trees on his farm. In 1847, The Baltimore Sun referred to Bayne as "that prince of horticulturists."[5] He assisted in the planning for the Maryland Agricultural College, the precursor to the University of Maryland, College Park.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2015-03-10 . John H. Bayne MSA SC 5496-10538 . 2022-01-12 . Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series).
  2. Web site: Papenfuse . Edward C. . 1990 . Historical List House of Delegates, Prince George's County (1790-1966) . 2022-01-12 . Archives of Maryland.
  3. Web site: Papenfuse . Edward C. . 1990 . Historical List Senate, Prince George's County (1838-1966) . 2022-01-12 . Archives of Maryland.
  4. Book: Engle, Stephen Douglas . Gathering to Save a Nation : Lincoln and the Union's War Governors . 2016 . UNC Press Books . 978-1-4696-2933-9 . Chapel Hill, North Carolina . 201 . 929985369.
  5. News: Prince George's Agricultural Exhibition. 1847-10-18. The Balitimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. XXI. 129. 2. Newspapers.com.
  6. Phase II and Phase III Archeological Database and Inventory: Salubria (18PR692) . Maryland Historical Trust.