Royal Colonial Governor of Maryland. He is remembered as the longest reigning and the next to last governor of the restored proprietary government of the Colony of Maryland: Sir Robert Eden was the last before America's Independence. Succeeding Governor Benjamin Tasker, he immigrated from England on August 10, 1753 to become the governor of Maryland bringing his friend John Ridout as his personal secretary. Born to a wealthy British family, his parents were Margaret Beake and William Sharp. He had nine brothers and four sisters. With the family being members of the Church of England, one of his brothers became a minister, while his other siblings distinguished themselves in the literary or political worlds. His brother William had been the guardian for Lord Baltimore. While in England, as a long-time bachelor Sharpe was an educator. His military service started in England, as he was a captain in a marine regiment fighting the Scots in 1745, a colonel serving in the West Indies, and then later the commander of the Maryland militia. While governor, he was noted for being well-mannered, slow to anger and for his outstanding compromising skills. He was a friend of George Washington during the French and Indian War, exchanging several letters with him. He had the challenge of enforcing the hated Stamp Act, which was overturned in Maryland on May 22, 1766. Obtaining thousands of acres of frontier land over several years, he built in 1764 his mansion, the "Whitehall," which was located eight miles from Annapolis, Maryland . Many indentured servants helped to build this 26-room mansion on his waterfront property. Made of the finest wood and marble, along with being furnished in the best of taste, his home is a National Historical Landmark in the 21st century. He had lodges in the frontier for housing during the summer. Annapolis was one of the most fashionable colonial cities in American colonies, and according to George Washington's diary he enjoyed attending plays at the theater with Washington. He owned, bred, and raced horses and was the owner of the well-known race horse, Britannia. After serving successfully as governor for nearly sixteen years, he heard from others of his dismissal before the official letter came three-months later from England. Historians summarized that he had been an effective governor, but did not have the close family connection to Lord Baltimore as Eden, who did not arrive to take office until June 1769. On the dawn of the American Revolution, he returned to England in 1773 for personal family business after his brother's death but in the end, he stayed until his own death. After the Maryland Confiscation Act of 1780, he was asked to return to the United States and claim his land, but instead, all of his American property was either sold or given to his long-time secretary and friend, John Ridout. A house in Westminster, England was partial payment for his American holdings. On this long four-month voyage back to England, Ridout's mother-in-law, Mrs. Ogle, and his son traveled with Sharp. The task of making the long and grueling trip back to Maryland along with political loyalties may have been too much for Sharp to endure. His life story is well documented in "A Colonial Governor in Maryland, Horatio Sharpe and His Times, 1753 to 1773," by Lady Matilda Ridout Edgar. The Maryland archives has many of his documents.