Around 1680, when King Charles II repaid a debt owed to his father, this 35-year-old man received a huge parcel of land on the western bank of the Delaware River which eventually became a state bearing his name. What was his name?

The man who received this enormous land grant was William Penn, a prominent English Quaker. The grant was King Charles II's way of settling a large debt of £16,000 (a massive sum at the time) owed to Penn's late father, Admiral Sir William Penn. In 1681, the king signed the charter, giving the younger Penn control over a vast territory intended to serve as a new colony in North America. This single transaction made Penn the largest private, non-royal landowner in the world.

Penn's motivation for acquiring the land was deeply rooted in his faith. As a Quaker, he and his fellow believers faced significant religious persecution in England. He envisioned his new colony as a "Holy Experiment," a place where people of different creeds could live together in peace and worship freely. He established a progressive government for the time, with democratic principles and a commitment to fair dealings, notably including peaceful treaties with the native Lenape people.

The name of the colony, Pennsylvania, literally means "Penn's Woods." Penn himself suggested "Sylvania" (Latin for "woods"), but the king insisted on adding "Penn" to the beginning to honor the Admiral. William Penn was reportedly embarrassed by this, fearing it would seem vain, but the name stuck. The colony he founded became a haven for religious and political freedom, attracting immigrants from all over Europe and laying the groundwork for the future state.