A website from the Massachusetts Historical Society; founded 1791.


Caesar Rodney

7 October 1728 - 26 June 1784

Born in Kent County, Delaware, Caesar Rodney played a major role in the newly formed colony of Delaware (formerly three counties of Pennsylvania). Elected to the Delaware assembly in 1758, Rodney became speaker of that house in 1769. He represented Delaware in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, and as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 Rodney served on a committee to outline the boycott of British goods. Although a delegate to the second Congress, Rodney was also elected colonel of the Kent County regiment in 1775. In July 1776, when the issue of independence was debated in Congress, Rodney received news that the Delaware delegation was deadlocked over independence. Rodney set out on the 80-mile ride to Philadelphia through the night of 1-2 July. When he arrived, Rodney cast his vote, thus Delaware's support, for independence.