Samuel Sprigg was probably born in Prince George's County, Maryland, although conclusive proof has not been found. His father was Joseph Sprigg and was married several times. He was likely born to his father's third wife, Margaret Elzey Weems between 1781-1783. After his father's death in 1800, he was adopted by his uncle, Osborn Sprigg. He would eventually inherit Osborne's Prince George's County estate of Northampton.
Sprigg joined the Republican Party at time when there was a Republican resurgence in the state against the Federalists. He was elected Governor by the Maryland General Assembly on December 13, 1819, running against Charles Goldsborough.
His administration was marked by partisan bitterness between the Republicans and Federalists. Specific issues were State constitutional reform and direct election of the state government (both opposed by the Federalists). Both of these efforts were defeated during Sprigg's administration, but would pass later.
His administration was very concerned with providing infrastructure to the western part of the state, embracing the construction of roads as well as completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Under his administration, the charter of the Potomac Company to complete the canal was canceled due to poor performance and given to a new enterprise, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company. He served on the Board of Directors for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company.
Sprigg retired from the Governor's office and from politics on December 16, 1822.
Death and legacy
- Buchholz, Henrich Ewald (1908). Governors of Maryland from the Revolution to the Year 1908 (PDF). Baltimore: Wiliams & Wilkins Company. pp. 91–94.
- "Prince George's County: Over 300 years of History - Oden Bowie". Prince George's County Historical Society. 1996. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- "Governor's Information: Maryland Governor Samuel Sprigg". National Governors Association. Retrieved 6 December 2007.
|Governor of Maryland
Samuel Stevens, Jr.