During the Colonial period, Maryland's Proprietors, the Lords of Baltimore, who generally remained in England, chose who would serve as the Governor of Maryland on their behalf.
Spiro T. Agnew, who was the Governor of Maryland from 1967-1969, later served as the Vice-President of the United States for a time under President Richard M. Nixon, and Agnew is, thus far, the highest-ranking Marylander in the history of the United States [REF].