Samuel Chase was born on April 17, 1741, near Princess Anne in Somerset County, Maryland. He was the son of the Reverend Thomas Chase, an Anglican clergyman, and Matilda Walker Chase. His mother died when he was an infant. His father later moved to Baltimore and supervised Samuel’s education, grounding him in classical languages, religion, and the rhetorical habits expected in a clerical household. Chase did not attend college. At eighteen he moved to Annapolis to study law under John Hammond and John Bordley. Legal apprenticeship placed him among the colony’s professional and political elite. He learned English common law, courtroom procedure, property practice, and forceful public argument. He was admitted to the bar in 1761. In 1762 Chase married Ann Baldwin. Their growing family and his legal practice increased his need for income, and his finances were often strained. He developed a reputation for intelligence, combativeness, and willingness to challenge established authority. Annapolis offered constant opportunities for a young lawyer to enter debates over taxes, patronage, and the privileges of officeholders. Chase became involved in the Sons of Liberty during the Stamp Act crisis. His attacks on Maryland’s proprietary establishment were unusually aggressive, and he publicly criticized men who condemned resistance. These actions made him prominent while still in his twenties. He entered the colonial assembly and built a political identity around opposition and sharp advocacy. Before signing the Declaration or becoming a Supreme Court justice, Chase had been shaped by maternal loss, an Anglican minister’s education, practical legal apprenticeship, early marriage, financial pressure, and the contentious politics of Annapolis. Unlike leaders known for restraint, he learned public life as a partisan fighter. His courage and argumentative power emerged early, as did the impulsiveness and hostility that later created enemies and contributed to his impeachment.