Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784

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Caesar Rodney (October 7, 1728 – June 26, 1784) was an American Founding Father, planter, lawyer, and politician from Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, a Continental Congressman from Delaware, a signer of the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence, and President of Delaware during most of the American Revolution.

Born on his family's farm, "Byfield", on St. Jones Neck in East Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, Rwas educated when he was 13 or 14 years old. He attended The Latin School, part of the academy and the College of Philadelphia (now known as University of Pennsylvania) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rodney joined Thomas McKean as a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765 and was a leader of the Delaware Committee of Correspondence. He began his service in the Assembly of Delaware in the 1761/62 session and continued in office through the 1775/76 session. Rodney served in the Continental Congress along with Thomas McKean and George Read from 1774 through 1776, voting to support independence and signing the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.

In 1778, Rodney was elected President of the State of Delaware for a three year term, a duty that he assumed even as he served as Major-General of the Delaware Militia. In this office he played a crucial part not only in the defense of his own colony but also in support of Washington's Continental Army. He suffered from asthma and from a cancerous growth on his face, for which he never attained proper treatment. Rodney was again elected to the national Congress in 1782 but was forced to decline the office due to failing health. He nonetheless continued to serve as Speaker to the Upper House of the Delaware Assembly. He died in that office, in June of 1784. His body is buried at an unmarked grave on the Byfield property.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. Letters to various correspondents [manuscript], 1793-1825. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Kountze, De Lancey, d. 1946,. Circular letter : Philadelphia, Pa., to the governors of the states, 1780 Feb. 10. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786. Autograph letter signed : "Head Quarters", South Carolina, to Gov. Rodney, 1781 Oct. 24. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Read, George, 1733-1798. ALS, 1779 March 23 : Newcastle, to Caesar Rodney, Dover. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
creatorOf Davis, Isaac, 1765-1856. Isaac Davis papers, 1756-1886. Historical Society of Delaware
creatorOf Washington, George, 1732-1799. Letter signed : Philadelphia, to Governor Rodney, 1781 Sept. 3. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Delaware. General Assembly. House of Representatives. Letter, 1773 Oct. 25, New Castle, Del. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Papers, 1775, 1778. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
referencedIn Logan, Robert Restalrig,. Collection, 1671-1863. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. ALS, 1776 July 10, Philadelphia, Pa., to Thomas Rodney. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817. Papers, 1759-1847. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
referencedIn Patterson, Samuel. Letter, 1777. Wisconsin Historical Society, Newspaper Project
referencedIn Rodney Family Papers, 1771-1824 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Signature to receipt of fifty pounds from Philip Barret, 1776 Dec. 19. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Caesar Rodney correspondence, 1749-1823. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Autograph letter signed : Newark, to Hon. Thomas Rodney, 1778 June 9. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Delaware. General Assembly. House of Representatives. Draft : New Castle, Del., to Caesar Rodney, 1776 July 28. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Autograph letter signed : to Lord Stirling, 1771 Feb. 8. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786. Papers, 1777-1780 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Autograph note, signed, 1777 Sept. 27. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817. Letter to John Adams, 1814 January. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. ALS, 1777 Sept. 4, Hoxonton, Del., to George Washington. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Letter to [Thomas Rodney] and portrait, 1776 May 17. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Logan, Maria Dickinson, 1857-1939,. Family papers, 1671-1890. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Letter to Thomas Rodney, 1776 July 4. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn Smith, Jonathan Bayard, 1742-1812. The Henley Smith Collection, 1686-1903. Library of Congress
referencedIn Frederick M. Dearborn collection of military and political Americana, Part I: The Revolution and the Administration, 1669-1958. Houghton Library
referencedIn Rodney, Thomas, 1744-1811. Thomas Rodney journal, 1796-1797 (inclusive), [microform]. Yale University Library
referencedIn Bayard family. Bayard family papers, 1797-1923. Historical Society of Delaware
creatorOf Dorman, Charles,. Dorman Delawareana, 1717-1943. Historical Society of Delaware
creatorOf Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786. Autograph letter signed : "Head Quarters on the high Hills of Santee" [South Carolina], to Cesar Rodney, Governor of Delaware, 1781 Aug. 22. Pierpont Morgan Library.
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. DS, 1765 December 5 : Maryland. Articles of Agreement. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
referencedIn Rodney, Thomas, 1744-1811. Journal, 1796-1797. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Letter, 1782. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn Thomas Addis Emmet collection, 1483-1876 (bulk:1700-1800) New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division
creatorOf New Jersey Historical Society. Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1664-1956 New Jersey Historical Society Library
creatorOf Delaware. President (1778-1781 : Rodney). ALS, 1778 June 24, Dover, Del., to the Delaware Assembly. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Autograph letter signed : Philadelphia, to Thomas Rodney, 1782 May 11. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Mershon, Grace Lucile Olmstead, 1879-1974. Oath of allegiance of New Jersey residents administered February 1777 by Caesar Rodney of Delaware, 1942. Historical Society of Princeton
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. ALS : Trenton, N.J., to Thomas Rodney, Dover, Del, 1777 Feb. 12. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. ALS, 1776 Oct. 25, Dover, Del., to Robert Morris, Philadelphia. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn Read Family Papers, 1568-1906, (bulk 1775-1906) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Read family. Papers, 1568-1906 (bulk 1775-1906). Library of Congress
creatorOf Churchman, John, 1753-1805. Papers, 1778-1804. Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
referencedIn Henry A. Willard II Collection, 1743-1888, (bulk 1770-1840) Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue Association. Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue Association records, 1915-1931. Historical Society of Delaware
referencedIn Lincoln, Anna T. Delaware's triumvirate / [signed] Anna T. Lincoln [19--]. University of Delaware Library, Hugh M Morris Library
referencedIn Bamberger, Louis, 1855-1944,. Autograph collection, 1683-1929. New Jersey Historical Society Library
referencedIn Read family. Manuscripts, 1716-1872. Historical Society of Pennsylvania
creatorOf Rodney Family Papers, 1771-1824 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Jared Sparks collection of American manuscripts, 1582-1843 Houghton Library
creatorOf Delaware. President (1778-1781 : Rodney). Caesar Rodney warrant to seize supplies, 1780 July 15. Western Reserve Historical Society, Research Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. ALS, 1782 March 31 : Philadelphia, to Thomas Rodney, Wilmington or Dover. Copley Press, J S Copley Library
referencedIn Nelson, William, 1847-1914. Manuscript collection, 1690-1875 New Jersey Historical Society Library
creatorOf Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952,. Signers of the Declaration of Independence autograph collection, 1756-1818. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Letter to Thomas Rodney, 1782 February 21. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Huntington, Samuel, 1731-1796. LS, 1780 Jan. 12, Philadelphia, to the President of Delaware. George Washington University
creatorOf Read, George, 1734-1798. Autograph letter signed : to Caesar Rodney and Charles Ridgely, 1773 June 24. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Letters and documents of signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1750-1933. Houghton Library
referencedIn John Dickinson papers, Bulk, 1753-1808, 1676-1885 Library company of Philadelphia
creatorOf Dickinson, Samuel, d. 1760. Will, 1759 Dec. 11, Kent County, Del. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Smallwood, William, 1732-1792. Autograph letter signed : to Caesar Rodney, 1777 Sept. 13. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Banning, Emily Eschenburg, 1825-1887. Genealogical notebooks of Emily Eschenburg Banning, ca. 1850-ca. 1887. Historical Society of Delaware
creatorOf Smallwood, William, 1732-1792. Autograph letter signed : to Gen. Rodney, 1777 Sept. 13. Pierpont Morgan Library.
referencedIn Washington Irving's Life of George Washington Volume IX, Miscellany, 1766-1808 Cornell University Library
creatorOf Rodney, Caesar, 1728-1784. Autograph letter signed : Dover, to Capt. Carson, 1778 July 22. Pierpont Morgan Library.
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associatedWith Adams, John Quincy, 1767-1848. person
associatedWith Albert H. Small Declaration of Independence Collection (University of Virginia) corporateBody
associatedWith Armstrong, William M. person
associatedWith Bamberger, Louis, 1855-1944, person
associatedWith Banning, Emily Eschenburg, 1825-1887 person
associatedWith Barron, James, 1769-1851. person
associatedWith Bayard family. family
associatedWith Bedford, Gunning, 1747-1812. person
associatedWith Burr, Aaron, 1756-1836. person
associatedWith Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue Association. corporateBody
associatedWith Carson, Capt, person
associatedWith Churchman, John, 1753-1805. person
associatedWith Coxe, Tench, 1755-1824. person
associatedWith Davis, Isaac, 1765-1856. person
associatedWith Dearborn, Frederick M. (Frederick Myers), b. 1876 person
memberOf Delaware. General Assembly. House of Representatives. corporateBody
associatedWith Delaware. President (1778-1781 : Rodney) corporateBody
associatedWith Dickinson, John, 1732-1808. person
associatedWith Dickinson, Samuel, d. 1760. person
associatedWith Dorman, Charles, person
associatedWith Emmet, Thomas Addis person
associatedWith Gist, Mordecai, 1742-1792. person
associatedWith Goodyear, A. Conger (Anson Conger), 1877-1964, person
associatedWith Greene, Nathanael, 1742-1786. person
associatedWith Hall, Henry Bryan, fl. 1850-1900. person
associatedWith Hopkinson, Joseph, 1770-1842. person
associatedWith Hubbard, John, collector. person
associatedWith Huntington, Samuel, 1731-1796. person
associatedWith Ingersoll, Charles Jared, 1782-1862. person
associatedWith Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. person
associatedWith Laurens, Henry, 1724-1792. person
associatedWith Lincoln, Anna T. person
associatedWith Livingston, Edward, 1764-1836. person
associatedWith Logan, Maria Dickinson, 1857-1939, person
associatedWith Logan, Robert Restalrig, person
associatedWith McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817. person
associatedWith Mershon, Grace Lucile Olmstead, 1879-1974. person
associatedWith Morris, Robert, 1734-1806. person
associatedWith Nabb, Charles. person
associatedWith Nelson, William, 1847-1914. person
associatedWith Patterson, Samuel. person
associatedWith Peters, Richard, 1743-1828. person
associatedWith Read family. family
associatedWith Read, George, 1733-1798. person
associatedWith Rivington, James, 1724-1802. person
auntOrUncleOf Rodney, C. A. (Caesar Augustus), 1772-1824. person
memberOf Rodney family family
sibling of Rodney, Thomas, 1744-1811. person
associatedWith Rosenbach, A. S. W. (Abraham Simon Wolf), 1876-1952, person
associatedWith Schuyler, Philip John, 1733-1804. person
associatedWith Smallwood, William, 1732-1792. person
associatedWith Smallwood, William, 1732-1792. person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866 person
associatedWith Stirling, Lord, person
associatedWith Sullivan, John, 1740-1795. person
associatedWith Tilghman, Tench, 1744-1786. person
associatedWith United States. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Continental Army corporateBody
memberOf United States. Continental Congress corporateBody
almaMaterOf University of Pennsylvania. corporateBody
associatedWith Van Dyke, Nicholas, 1738-1789. person
associatedWith Washington, George, 1732-1799. person
associatedWith Willard, Henry A. (Henry Augustus), 1902- person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Kent County DE US
Philadelphia PA US
Kent County DE US
Subject
Slavery
American loyalists
Brandywine, Battle of, Pa., 1777
Canadian Invasion, 1775-1776
Newspapers
Occupation
Delegates
Governors
Justices of the peace
Militia officers
Planter
Statesmen
Activity

Person

Birth 1728-10-07

Death 1784-06-26

Male

Britons,

Americans

English

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