Maryland Del. Charles Otto, who represented the Eastern Shore in Annapolis for nearly 15 years, has died, officials announced Friday.
Otto, 61, was a farmer who went into politics, serving as a Republican representing the Lower Shore counties of Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset. His colleagues remembered him as a lawmaker who was focused on the work of advocating for his constituents without seeking the spotlight.
“Delegate Otto was a dedicated public servant, committed to his constituents and to preserving our state’s agricultural heritage,” read a statement from the House of Delegates Republican Caucus. “A rarity in politics, Delegate Otto was never someone who was in love with his own voice. But when he spoke, he did so with heartfelt wisdom, and members listened, no matter what their political party.”
Otto was described as “unceasingly generous and hilariously funny.”
Del. Jason Buckel, the House minority leader from Western Maryland, said Otto “fought for Maryland’s farmers, watermen and rural communities with every breath he had.”
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat, said in a statement that Otto served “with integrity and an unwavering dedication to the people of District 38A.”
“He cared deeply about his community and always put his constituents first,” Jones said.
Otto filed paperwork to run for reelection earlier this week.
Just a few weeks ago, Otto joined Democratic Gov. Wes Moore on Smith Island to celebrate a new Verizon antenna that brought high-speed internet and phone service to the remote Chesapeake Bay community.
Moore recalled that event while paying tribute to Otto on Friday.
“I saw in him then what so many have seen throughout his career — a fidelity to our state that could never waver, and a commitment to our people that could never fade,” Moore said in a statement.
Moore added: “Delegate Otto and I may not have belonged to the same political party, but we could agree on this: Marylanders are always worth fighting for. We must carry that legacy forward, together.”
In the 2025 General Assembly session, Otto was the lead sponsor of a bill requiring the state to notify local and state elected officials when an incarcerated person dies in a state prison in their area.
Somerset County is home to the state’s Eastern Correctional Institution. He said there should be clear information across the state about deaths in custody, whether the cause is illness, violence or drugs.
“It’s difficult for me when I learn of these deaths on a blog or by gossip or from some of the personnel from the prison — who may or may not know what took place — or in the newspaper," Otto told members of the House of Delegates Judiciary Committee during a hearing in February.
The bill passed both the House and the state Senate without any opposing votes, and was signed into law by Moore.
Otto was an Eastern Shore native. He was born in Salisbury and graduated from Washington High School in Princess Anne. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Otto lived in the house he was raised in and continued to farm the property, taking pride in being a native Marylander, he said in a 2021 interview posted by a lobbying firm.
In that interview, Otto joked that his greatest accomplishment was legalizing the use of golf carts in Crisfield. More seriously, he said he worked to bring matching state funds to local projects, including a public library.
He worked as a crop consultant and sales representative for the Farmers & Planters Co., according to his official biography.
Otto served on the Maryland Farm Bureau’s board of directors and as president of the Somerset County Farm Bureau.
In Annapolis, Otto served on the Environment and Transportation Committee, as well as in the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and the Maryland Veterans Caucus. He also served as a deputy whip for the Republican Caucus, a leadership role within the party.
Acknowledging that Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats, he said in the 2021 interview that having integrity and building relationships are key to making progress and countering “mistruths.”
A cause of death was not announced and funeral information was not immediately available.
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