Caesar Rodney

It's pretty hard to become known as a hero, even harder to be known as one of the heroes of a nation. The man, Caesar Rodney was exactly that, he has been to known to be called the hero of Delaware. Caesar Rodney was a soldier, judge, Speaker of Delaware's Assembly, Governor of Delaware, justice of the state's Supreme Court, and held many other local offices. To say the very least he was a very busy man! Many people may have never heard his name before but have looked at a picture of him when they've paid in change. He is forever immortalized on the Delaware state quarter, with a picture of him on his legendary ride into history.

Caesar Rodney was born on October 7, 1728 to Caesar and Elizabeth Crawford Rodney. He was born on his family's farm in East Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. Caesar Rodney Sr. died in 1745, leaving Caesar the eldest of eight children to be the man of the family farm. At this point a man by the name of Nicholas Ridgely became the legal guardian of Caesar. Ridgely was the clerk of the peace for the Court of Kent County. I believe this was a true turning point for Caesar; he began to like the public life. At the age of twenty-seven he became the high sheriff of Kent County where he served for three years. He ended up going on to serve many other offices in Kent County during his lifetime.

In 1756, Caesar began his military career during the French and Indian War. He was named the Captain of the Dover Hundred Company, but his battalion was never called into battle. He was appointed to the Delaware State Assembly in 1762. While in the Assembly he became the Speaker. As Speaker, Caesar tried to pass a law prohibiting the importing of slaves to Delaware. 1765 he became a member of the Stamp Act Congress. On June 15, 1765 at the Delaware Assembly he voted to sever all ties with England or what is known as the Crown. This same year he became the Governor of Delaware.

The spring and summer of 1766 was the planned meeting of the Continental Congress to converse over the Declaring of Independence from England. Caesar received a message that on July 2nd Congress was going to vote on the independence from England. That meant if he wanted to vote, he was going to have to make an eighty mile horseback trip to Philadelphia.

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