Representative Edward Henry Carroll Long

Edward Henry Carroll Long (September 28, 1808 – October 16, 1865) was a farmer, lawyer, American politician, and U.S. Representative from Maryland. Born in Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland, he was the son of Zadock Long and Leah Whittington Long. He grew up on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where he was exposed early to the agricultural life that would later occupy much of his attention alongside his legal and political career.

Long attended the common schools of Princess Anne before pursuing higher education at Yale College. He graduated from Yale in 1828, a notable achievement for a young man from rural Maryland in the early nineteenth century. After completing his collegiate studies, he read law and prepared for admission to the bar. In 1830 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in his native Princess Anne, where he quickly established himself as a practicing attorney. In addition to his legal work, he engaged in agricultural pursuits, managing and improving his family’s landholdings. He married Amelia Roach, and the couple had five children, maintaining their home and family life in Somerset County.

Long’s public career began in state politics. He was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates and served multiple, nonconsecutive terms, reflecting the confidence his constituents placed in him. His service in the House of Delegates extended from 1833 to 1835, and he returned to that body again in 1839, 1844, and 1861. Through these repeated terms, he participated in the legislative affairs of Maryland during a period marked by economic development, sectional tensions, and evolving party alignments. His work in the state legislature complemented his legal practice and agricultural interests, giving him a broad base of experience in both public and private life.

In addition to his service in the House of Delegates, Long advanced to the upper chamber of the state legislature. He served in the Maryland State Senate in 1860, a critical year on the eve of the Civil War, when questions of union, slavery, and state sovereignty dominated political discourse. That same year he sought to extend his political career to the national level in a different capacity and became a candidate for the United States Senate. He was, however, unsuccessful in that bid, and he continued to focus on his legal practice, farming operations, and intermittent service in the state legislature.

Long’s most prominent national service came as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Elected from Maryland’s sixth congressional district as a member of the Whig Party, he served in the Twenty-ninth Congress from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. His term in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history, including debates over territorial expansion and the Mexican–American War. As a Whig representative, he contributed to the legislative process during his single term, participating in the democratic governance of the nation and representing the interests of his Maryland constituents. He did not seek renomination in 1846 and thus concluded his congressional service at the end of his first term.

After leaving Congress, Long resumed the practice of law in Princess Anne and continued to be actively engaged in agricultural pursuits. He managed and worked his family farm, known as “Catalpa,” which became both his residence and the center of his farming operations. Balancing his professional legal work with the responsibilities of a working farm, he remained a prominent figure in local affairs and a respected member of the Somerset County community. His later years were spent largely in these pursuits, punctuated by his continued involvement in state politics, including his final term in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1861.

Edward Henry Carroll Long died in Princess Anne, Maryland, on October 16, 1865, shortly after the conclusion of the Civil War, a conflict that had transformed the nation he had served in both state and national office. He was interred on the Catalpa Family Farm in Princess Anne, Somerset County, Maryland, where his life as a lawyer, legislator, and farmer had been centered.