Caesar Rodney Statue

This statue of Caesar Rodney was given to the National Statuary Hall Collection by Delaware in 1934.

Caesar Rodney was born in Dover, Delaware, on October 7, 1728. Politics was one of his early interests. He was high sheriff of Kent County from 1755 to 1756, justice of the peace, judge of all lower courts, captain in the Kent County Militia in 1756, superintendent of the printing of Delaware currency in 1759, a member of the state assembly from 1762 to 1769, and an associate justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from 1769 to 1777.

A delegate to the Stamp Act Congress and a strong supporter of the Revolution, he participated in the First and Second Continental Congresses. His dramatic ride to Philadelphia on July 2, 1776, enabled the Delaware delegation to vote two to one for the Declaration of Independence. Rodney was elected the first president of Delaware and was responsible for keeping the militia loyal and efficient. He had a close relationship with General Washington. He was also responsible for guiding Delaware's ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1779.

The last 10 years of his life were difficult as he suffered from cancer. Rodney died at his farm, Poplar Grove, on June 26, 1784. His remains were reinterred in 1888 at the Christ Episcopal Churchyard in Dover.