Hammond Perishes In Route 50 Crash

BERLIN -- A tragic accident on Route 50 near Whaleyville yesterday morning claimed the life of Edward Hammond, Jr., a former attorney for Worcester County often fondly regarded as the “eighth county commissioner” and a member of the community’s old guard of legal eagles.

Around 11:30 a.m., Hammond’s vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 50 just east of Route 610 and west of Hall Rd. collided with a State Highway Administration (SHA) dump truck on the shoulder of the highway, which was in the area as part of a roadside litter clean-up operation. Hammond, 69, was transported to PRMC via Maryland State Police helicopter and later succumbed to his injuries.

Born and raised in Berlin, Hammond retired from his position as county attorney for Worcester in 2007 to pursue other interests including reading and history. At the time of his death, he was the president of the Berlin Heritage Foundation, Inc., the organization that oversees the Calvin B. Taylor Museum on Main Street.

Aside from being a de facto historian for Berlin and Worcester County, Hammond was most noted for his legal contributions to the county. In 1964, Berlin attorney Marcus Williams hired Hammond, Jr. as a law clerk while Hammond was still a law student at the University of Georgia. He joined Williams’ firm as a full associate in 1969 upon his discharge from the Army and was made a partner in 1973 in the firm that became Williams, Hammond and Moore and later the current Williams, Moore, Shockley and Harrison.

In 1974, Hammond began to serve as county attorney for Worcester on a part-time basis and took over the position full-time in 2002, helping to shepherd Worcester through a period of great growth and development