[5][6][7] He graduated from Brown University in 1804, studied law with Robert Goodloe Harper, was admitted to the bar in 1807, and became an attorney in Baltimore, Maryland.

[10] Maxcy also prepared and distributed The Maryland resolutions, and the objections to them considered (1822), which argued against proposals to appropriate public land for the building of schools and other purposes.

[29] Maxcy died near Fort Washington, Maryland, on February 28, 1844, as a result of the explosion on board USS Princeton, which also killed five others, including two members of President John Tyler's cabinet.

Maxcy was struck by metal shards from the "Peacemaker" cannon, a large artillery piece made by the Hogg & Delamater Ironworks which was being fired as part of a demonstration for visiting dignitaries.

[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] Maxcy was originally entombed at Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[38] He was later reinterred at Tulip Hill, a large estate near Annapolis, Maryland, that was owned by his wife's family.

[47] Maxcy is a prominent figure in academic discussions about same-sex intimate relationships in the United States during the early 1800s, which results from a letter he sent to a friend.