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 well as a 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.

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.

Private Practice

While Mr. Rodney spent most of his legal career in public service, he took on at least one notable case as a private advocate during the year before his appointment as Attorney General. In 1806, Mr. Rodney made an appearance before the Mayor's Court of Philadelphia to defend the Philadelphia Cordwainers against a common law charge of conspiracy. The conspiracy charge was instituted by retail shoe merchants, based on attempts by the journeyman shoe- and boot- makers to organize for the purpose of setting their wages and hours. Sadly, Mr Rodney was unsuccessful in attaining an acquittal for the workers, so that the progress of organized labor was delayed for more than a half-century in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Attorney General

On January 20 1807 U.S. President Thomas Jefferson named Rodney his U.S. 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.

Almanac

Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the State House took office on the first Tuesday of January for a one year term. U.S. Representatives were popularly elected for a two year term, and the General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, for a six year term. Both took office the following March 4th.

Public Offices
Office	Type	Location	Elected	Took Office	Left Office	notes
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1796	January 3 1797	January 2 1798
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1797	January 2 1798	January 1 1799
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1798	January 1 1799	January 7 1800
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1799	January 7 1800	January 6 1801
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1800	January 6 1801	January 5 1802
State Representative	Legislature	Dover	1801	January 5 1802	January 4 1803
U.S. Representative	Legislature	Washington	1802	March 4 1803	March 3 1805
U.S. Attorney General	Executive	Washington		January 20 1807	December 5 1811
State Senate	Legislature	Dover	1814	January 3 1815	January 6 1818
U.S. Representative	Legislature	Washington	1820	March 4 1821	January 22 1822
U.S. Senator	Legislature	Washington		January 10 1822	January 29 1823
Resident Minister	Executive	Buenos Aires		January 29 1823	June 10 1824	Argentina

Delaware General Assembly service
Dates	Assembly	Chamber	Majority	Governor	Committees	District
1797	21st	State House	Federalist	Gunning Bedford, Sr.		New Castle at-large
1798	22nd	State House	Federalist	Daniel Rogers		New Castle at-large
1799	23rd	State House	Federalist	Richard Bassett		New Castle at-large
1800	24th	State House	Federalist	Richard Bassett		New Castle at-large
1801	25th	State House	Federalist	James Sykes		New Castle at-large
1802	26th	State House	Federalist	David Hall		New Castle at-large
1815	39th	State Senate	Federalist	Daniel Rodney		New Castle at-large
1816	40th	State Senate	Federalist	Daniel Rodney		New Castle at-large
1817	41st	State Senate	Federalist	John Clark		New Castle at-large

United States Congressional service
Dates	Congress	Chamber	Majority	President	Committees	Class/District
1803-1805	8th	U.S. House	Democratic-Republican	Thomas Jefferson		at-large
1821-1823	17th	U.S. House	Democratic-Republican	James Monroe		2nd at-large
1821-1823	17th	U.S. Senate	Democratic-Republican	James Monroe		class 1

Election results
Year	Office		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1802	U.S. Representative		Caesar A. Rodney	Democratic-Republican	3,421	50%		James A. Bayard	Federalist	3,406	50%
1804	U.S. Representative		Caesar A. Rodney	Democratic-Republican	4,038	48%		James A. Bayard	Federalist	4,398	52%

Notes

References

• Commonwealth v. Pullis ("The Philadelphia Cordwainers' Case"), Mayor's Court of Philadelphia (1806)
• Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wickersham Company.
• Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of twenty-two years in the Delaware State Senate. Newark, Del.: Roger A. Martin.
• Martin, Roger A. (2003). Delawareans in Congress. Middletown, Del.: Roger A. Martin.
• Munroe, John A. (1954). Federalist Delaware 1775-1815. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press.
• Read, William T. (1853). Biographical Sketch of Caesar Augustus Rodney. Wilmington, Del.: C.P. Johnson.
• Ryden, George Herbert (1943). Biographical Sketches of Caesar Rodney (the Signer) Thomas Rodney and Caesar A. Rodney. Dover, Del.: Public Archives Commission.
• Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co. ISBN 0-87413-493-5.
• Wilson, W. Emerson (1969). Forgotten Heroes of Delaware. Cambridge, Mass.: Deltos Publishing Company.

External links

• Caesar A. Rodney at the The Political Graveyard
• Caesar A. Rodney at Delaware's Senators

Places with more information

• Historical Society of Delaware, 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware (302) 655-7161
• University of Delaware Library, 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware (302) 831-2965