Daniel Dulany (the Younger)

Daniel Dulany the Younger (1722–1797) was a Maryland lawyer whose legal argument fueled early colonial resistance, though his ultimate loyalty to the British Crown led to his downfall. He was the author of the 1765 pamphlet Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies, the definitive legal argument against the Stamp Act. Dulany dismantled the British theory of "virtual representation," arguing under English common law that Parliament could not legally tax colonies that lacked actual legislative representation. While his constitutional logic popularized the foundational defense of "no taxation without representation," he urged peaceful resistance and opposed armed rebellion. When the Revolution began, Dulany’s unwavering loyalty to the British Empire forced him into strict neutrality. Consequently, Maryland revolutionaries branded him a traitor, confiscated his vast estates, and stripped him of his political offices, ending his career in exile and financial ruin.