CAESAR RODNEY

Dover, Delaware
October 7, 1728–June 26, 1784
The Nation’s Health above My Own

The lack of a formal education never stopped Caesar Rodney from serving his colony and his country. In a ten-year span, the positions he held in Delaware included high sheriff of Kent County; registrar of wills; recorder of deeds; clerk of the orphan’s court; justice of the peace; Colonial assemblyman; Stamp Act Congress delegate; and member of the colony’s Committee of Correspondence. Then he got busy. He was elected to the Continental Congress for three terms (1774–76) and served as a major general in the Delaware militia. Rodney cast the deciding vote in 1776 that placed Delaware in the “for independence” column—and he may have done all that simply to push a lost love for a woman out of his mind.

Delaware’s Savior

Caesar Rodney came from an undistinguished family but rose to prominence in Delaware politics through hard work and devotion to a cause. His father, a farmer, died when Caesar was seventeen. Nicholas Ridgely, a clerk of the peace in Kent County, became Caesar’s guardian and instilled in the young man a love of politics. After that, not even a cancerous growth that covered a large portion of his face could stop him from fighting for freedom from British rule.

Rodney demonstrated his opposition to British tax legislation and willingness to travel to speak out against it as early as 1765, when he attended the Stamp Act Congress in New York City. That was the same year he joined the Committee of Correspondence, whose job it was to coordinate actions against the British with similar committees in other colonies.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“NO ONE WAS EITHER TORY OR WHIG; IT WAS EITHER DEPENDENCE OR INDEPENDENCE.”

—CAESAR RODNEY

The Stamp Act Congress, October 7–25, 1765, was the first gathering of delegates from different colonies to protest the new British taxation laws. It was a precursor of the Continental Congress.

It was no surprise that Rodney was elected to represent Delaware at the First Continental Congress in 1774.

Rodney soon proved to the other delegates that he could be depended on when needed to further the cause of independence.

Rodney returned to the Congress in 1775 and 1776. When the question of independence arose, he delivered Delaware, although it took a lot of time and effort for him to cast the crucial vote.

Neither Rain nor Thunder …

As the Second Continental Congress debated whether it should vote for independence in 1776, Rodney was back in Sussex County, Delaware, in his capacity as a militia leader. He was investigating rumors about a possible Tory riot, unaware of the drama that was unfolding in Philadelphia. The last thing he wanted was to travel north to cast a vote.

Caesar Rodney was in poor health in 1776, which was normal for him. Frequent asthma attacks and a spreading cancerous growth on his face that he referred to as “that horrid and most obstinate disorder” were sapping his energy, and he needed some rest to combat the effects of both. But when duty called, Rodney responded. He put his country’s health above his own, which was typical of him.

REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS

Historians speculate that one reason Rodney stayed busy all the time was a sense of loss. He remained a bachelor throughout his life because the woman he loved, Molly Vining, married a rector and died shortly thereafter. Rodney never recovered from his grief over the death of another man’s wife.

The Delaware contingent at the Second Continental Congress was in disarray. Thomas McKean was in favor of independence; George Read was not. The Congress did not need Delaware’s vote for independence, but it preferred a unanimous vote to impress British authorities with their solidarity. McKean sent a note back to Delaware advising Rodney of the stalemate. Rodney hopped on the nearest horse and sped off to Philadelphia on a harrowing ride.

Quotations to Live (and Die) By!

“I ARRIVED IN CONGRESS (THO DETAINED BY THUNDER AND RAIN) TIME ENOUGH TO GIVE MY VOTE IN THE MATTER OF INDEPENDENCE.”

—CAESAR RODNEY IN A JULY 4, 1776, LETTER TO HIS BROTHER, THOMAS RODNEY

Caesar Rodney’s dash to Philadelphia made Paul Revere’s famous ride look like a lap around a riding ring. He rode eighty miles overnight between Dover and Philadelphia to ensure that his colony voted yes for independence.

After a few twists and turns, the final vote was 13–0 for independence. Rodney helped save the day—and the country.

Rodney’s work was done at the Congress. He returned to Delaware to prepare for his participation in the war.

The End Is Near

Delaware played a critical role in the Revolutionary War. The state had a record of always meeting its obligations in supplying troops and materiel. Helping raise those troops and amassing supplies was all that Rodney could do as the fighting continued, with one exception.

On December 26, 1776, General Washington assigned Brigadier General Rodney to command the post at Trenton. His orders were to defend the river crossing at Trenton and send new troops to General Washington. He accomplished both goals, much to Washington’s delight.

As the war drew to a close, so did Rodney’s political career. Though elected to the national Congress in 1782, he declined because of his poor health. He continued with his responsibilities as Speaker to the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly, but that took a toll on his welfare, too.

REVOLUTIONARY REVELATIONS

No one knows for sure on what date Rodney died or where he was buried. Records show that he was interred on his farm in an unmarked grave on June 28, 1784, where his remains lay for over a century. His body—or possibly a relative’s—was exhumed and moved to Christ Church in Wilmington in 1889.

Finally, Rodney’s lack of attention to his own health caught up with him. He died on or about June 26, 1784.

There was a certain amount of mystery regarding the circumstances of Caesar Rodney’s death and burial. There was none, however, about his life. He made sure Delaware voted for independence, for which he will never be forgotten.