founded a bank in the town where he worked until 1890. During the 1884 Presidential election, Warfield made significant contributions to the campaign of the 22nd (and later also 24th) President Grover Cleveland in Maryland, the first Democratic president to be elected since before the Civil War. Following the election, Cleveland appointed Warfield to serve as Surveyor of the Port of Baltimore beginning April 5, 1885. Warfield served in that position until May 1, 1890, after the Republicans returned to power. In 1890, Warfield married Emma Nicodemus, with whom he had three daughters and one son. In 1890, after his removal from Surveyor, Warfield founded the Fidelity and Deposit Company, where he served as president until his death. He was chosen as a delegate to the 1896 Democratic National Convention, but otherwise remained out of politics for nearly a decade. In September 1903, because of his political and historical interests, Warfield served as the main speaker and orator for the ceremonies dedicating the Lt. Col. William H. Watson (1808–1846) Monument. Governor of Maryland Warfield chose to run for Governor of Maryland in 1899, but lost the Democratic nomination after he was opposed by influential Maryland politicians, including Arthur Pue Gorman, a powerful U.S. Senator who had his own state political machine and was allied to similar interests and "old pols" in Baltimore City. However, even though it was apparent the party bosses did not hold him in favor, he again sought the nomination in 1903 openly discouraging African-Americans' ability to vote. He was successfully nominated by the party, and defeated his Republican opponent, Stevenson A. Williams, by over 12,600 votes. He was inaugurated as the 45th Governor of the "Old Line State" on January 13, 1904. The most significant event of his tenure as Governor came when Arthur Pue Gorman, who had opposed Warfield's election, proposed the "Poe Amendment" to the Maryland State Constitution of 1867, which would have disenfranchised most black voters in the state. The bill easily passed the Democrat-controlled General Assembly, but Warfield refused to support the proposed amendment and delayed placing it before the voters. While Warfield was in favor of some of the amendment's provisions, such as denying the vote to the less-educated black voters of the state, he feared it would eventually lead to greater levels of disenfranchisement which could threaten all voters in the state. The proposed amendment was put before voters in