Caesar A. Rodney

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Caesar Augustus Rodney (January 4, 1772 – June 10, 1824) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, as U.S. Representative from Delaware, U.S. Senator from Delaware, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Minister to Argentina. He was the nephew of Caesar Rodney, the signer of the Declaration of Independence who is depicted on the Delaware state quarter.

Contents

1 Early life and family
2 Jeffersonian legislator
3 Attorney General
4 Later career
5 Death and legacy
6 Public offices

6.1 Election results

7 Notes
8 References
9 External links

Early life and family

Rodney was born January 4, 1772 in Dover, Delaware, son of Thomas Rodney and Elizabeth Fisher. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1789, he studied law under Joseph B. McKean in Philadelphia and was admitted to the bar in 1793. He practiced law in Wilmington and New Castle, Delaware for the next three years. Rodney married Susan Hunn, the daughter of Captain John Hunn and their home was "Cool Springs", located in Wilmington.

Jeffersonian legislator

Rodney served six terms in the Delaware House of Representatives, from the 1797 session through the 1802 session. There he became one of the leaders of the Jeffersonian party, now known as the Democratic-Republican Party. Encouraged by Jefferson to compete for the U.S. House against the staunch Federalist, James A. Bayard, Rodney ran and won a lively campaign by fifteen votes. While in the U.S. House, he was a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, and established a national reputation as one of the managers appointed in January 1804 to prepare the articles of impeachment against John Pickering, judge of the United States District Court for New Hampshire. Pickering was charged with conduct unbecoming a judge, and his acquittal was viewed as strengthening the independence of the judiciary. In December of the same year, Rodney led another such case against Samuel Chase, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

After serving one term in the U.S. House from March 4, 1803 until March 3, 1805, he was defeated for reelection in 1804 by Bayard, by nearly as close a vote. The two men, always vigorous political opponents, remained good friends throughout their tumultuous political careers.

Attorney General

On January 20 1807, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson named Rodney his Attorney General and he served in that office for the remainder of Jefferson's term and for nearly three years in U.S. President James Madison's first term. As Attorney General, Rodney participated as a member of the prosecution during the second treason trial of former Vice-President Aaron Burr. He resigned December 5, 1811, unhappy about being passed over for a U.S. Supreme Court appointment. During the War of 1812, he was captain of a rifle corps which became the Delaware 1st Artillery. They served at Fort Union in Wilmington, on the Canadian frontier, and assisted in the defense of Baltimore in 1814.

Later career

Rodney returned to politics serving in the State Senate for three sessions from 1815 through 1817. In 1820 he was again elected to the U.S. House, serving from March 4, 1821 until January 24, 1822, when he resigned upon being elected to the U.S. Senate. He served there only a year as well, resigning January 29, 1823 to accept a diplomatic appointment. During that brief year Rodney was Federalist dominated Delaware's only Democratic-Republican U.S. Senator ever.

In 1817 Rodney was appointed by President James Monroe to lead a commission to investigate whether the newly formed South American republics should be recognized. He strongly advocated such recognition and, with John Graham, published his findings in 1819 as Reports on the Present State of the United Provinces of South America. This report is thought to have contributed much to the thinking behind the policy that eventually became expressed as the Monroe Doctrine. It also resulted in Rodney's 1823 appointment as United States Minister Plenipotentiary to the United Provinces of La Plata, now known as Argentina. He remained at this posting until his death.

Death and legacy

Rodney died June 10, 1824, in Buenos Aires, Argentina and was buried there in the Victoria district British Cemetery. His remains were moved in 1923 to the Charcarita district British Cemetery.

"|Preceded by:
James A. Bayard, Sr.

|width="30%" align="center" rowspan=""|Succeeded by:
Thomas Clayton |- |}

Public offices

At this time Delaware elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the State House took office on the first Tuesday of January for a term of one year. Seven Representatives were elected, at large, from each county. The General Assembly chose the U.S Senators, who took office March 4 and served for a term of six years.

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	State of Delaware • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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