Theodorick Bland

Theodorick Bland (December 6, 1776 – November 16, 1846) was an American attorney and statesman who was Chancellor of Maryland from 1824 to 1846 and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

Education and early career

Born in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, Bland was admitted to the bar in 1797. He was in private practice of law in Danville Virginia, then in Tennessee and Kentucky, and finally in Baltimore, Maryland. During the War of 1812, he was Secretary of the city's Committee of Safety, and was active in defense of the city at the time of British invasion. He was buried at Cemetery Creek (now St. Anne's Cemetery) in Annapolis. He was memorialized at a meeting of the Bar of Baltimore, by a committee chaired by United States Chief Justice Roger B. Taney and including William Henry Norris, with addresses delivered by distinguished members including Charles F. Mayer and Reverdy Johnson. He was the son of Theodorick Bland (born 1746) and Sarah Fitzhugh (1748–1793). Bland's uncle was Thomas Fitzhugh and his sister was Sophia Bland. Bland married Sarah Glen (born 1770), the widow of John Davis. #tag:ref|"Davis" or "Davies" is noted in various sources as the married name for Sarah Glen and the surname of Elizabeth Glen. Warfield states that Sarah Glen was the widow of Baltimore Mayor Jacob Davies; however, Mayor Davies died in 1857 – thirteen years after Theodorick Bland. Warfield also notes names for Bland's mother and grandfather that are inconsistent with other sources. Jacob G. Davies William G. Bland Sarah Bland Mayo inherited the property upon her father's death and eventually gave the property to her daughter, Sarah Mayo Gaither, as a wedding present in 1857.