In 1685, the Lords proprietors commissioned Quary as Provincial Secretary, and on July 12 he was appointed Governor of Carolina, replacing Joseph West.
Seeking a political comeback, Quary supported Seth Sothel's takeover of the Governor's office in 1690, and was appointed Chief Justice.
In 1692, Sothel was forced from office, and Quary fled South Carolina for Philadelphia, where he came under the protection of Maryland Gov.
[2] In 1701, Robert Quary was commissioned as Surveyor General of the Customs for New Jersey and Pennsylvania; in 1703 this appointment was expanded to include all of British America.
[3] In this position he served simultaneously on the Provincial Councils of five colonies: Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.