View source for Caesar Augustus Rodney

{{Short description|American politician (1772–1824)}}
{{about|the lawyer and nineteenth-century politician|his uncle, the revolutionary leader|Caesar Rodney}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Caesar A. Rodney
| image               = File:Caesar A. Rodney (1772 –1824).png
| caption             = Posthumous portrait of Rodney, {{circa|1870}}
| office              = 1st [[United States Ambassador to Argentina|United States Minister to Argentina]]
| president           = [[James Monroe]]
| term_start          = December 27, 1823
| term_end            = June 10, 1824
| predecessor         = Position established
| successor           = James A. Peden
| jr/sr1              = United States Senator
| state1              = [[Delaware]]
| term_start1         = January 24, 1822
| term_end1           = January 29, 1823
| predecessor1        = [[Outerbridge Horsey]]
| successor1          = [[Thomas Clayton]]
| state2              = [[Delaware]]
| district2           = {{ushr|DE|AL|at-large}}
| term_start2         = March 4, 1821
| term_end2           = January 24, 1822<br>{{small|2nd seat}}
| predecessor2        = [[Willard Hall]]
| successor2          = [[Daniel Rodney]]
| term_start3         = March 4, 1803
| term_end3           = March 3, 1805<br>{{small|sole seat}}
| predecessor3        = [[James A. Bayard (politician, born 1767)|James A. Bayard]]
| successor3          = [[James M. Broom]]
| office4             = 6th [[United States Attorney General]]
| president4          = [[Thomas Jefferson]]<br>[[James Madison]]
| term_start4         = January 20, 1807
| term_end4           = December 5, 1811
| predecessor4        = [[John Breckinridge (U.S. Attorney General)|John Breckinridge]]
| successor4          = [[William Pinkney]]
| office5             = Member of the [[Delaware House of Representatives]]
| term_start5         = 1796
| term_end5           = 1802
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1772|1|4}}
| birth_place         = [[Dover, Delaware|Dover]], Delaware Colony, British America
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1824|6|10|1772|1|4}}
| death_place         = [[Buenos Aires]], United Provinces of the Río de la Plata
| party               = [[Democratic-Republican Party|Democratic-Republican]]
| spouse              = Susan Hunn
| education           = [[University of Pennsylvania]] {{small|([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])}}
}}
'''Caesar Augustus Rodney''' (January 4, 1772 – June 10, 1824) was an American lawyer and politician from [[Wilmington, Delaware|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]].

==Early life and family==
{{See also|Rodney family of Delaware}}
Rodney was born in [[Dover, Delaware|Dover]] in the [[Delaware Colony]], son of [[Thomas Rodney]] and Elizabeth Fisher. He was the nephew of [[Caesar Rodney]], the signer of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] who is depicted on the Delaware state quarter. 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|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.

==Professional and political career==

=== State House === 

Rodney served six terms as State Representative, 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. 

=== US House === 

Encouraged by Jefferson to compete for the U.S. House against the staunch [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] [[James A. Bayard (politician, born 1767)|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 [[United States House Committee on Ways and Means|Committee on Ways and Means]], and established a national reputation as one of the [[impeachment manager]]s appointed in January 1804 to prepare and prosecute the [[articles of impeachment]] in the [[Federal impeachment in the United States|impeachment]] proceedings against [[John Pickering (judge)|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 served as an impeachment manager in [[Impeachment of Samuel Chase|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.

While 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, he made an appearance before the Mayor's Court of Philadelphia to defend the [[Commonwealth v. Pullis|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. Rodney was unsuccessful in attaining an acquittal for the workers.

==Attorney general==
[[File:Caesar A Rodney US.jpg|200px|left|thumb]]
On January 20, 1807, U.S. President [[Thomas Jefferson]] named Rodney his U.S. Attorney General. He served in that office for the remainder of Jefferson's term and for nearly three years in 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]]. Rodney 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 [[Canada|Canadian]] frontier, and assisted in the defense of [[Baltimore]] in 1814.

==Later political activity==
Rodney returned to politics, serving in the [[Delaware 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 Delaware's only Democratic-Republican U.S. Senator ever.

Along with [[John Graham (diplomat)|John Graham]] and [[Theodorick Bland (judge)|Theodorick Bland]], Rodney was selected by President [[James Monroe]] in 1817 for a special diplomatic mission to [[South America]], the South American Commission of 1817–1818.<ref name="Rasmussen">{{cite book |last1=Rasmussen |first1=Wayne D. |editor1-first=James |editor1-last=Gerber |editor2-last=Lei Guang |title=Agriculture and Rural Connections in the Pacific, 1500–1900 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1d5L9tXXq0C |series=The Pacific World: Lands, Peoples and History of the Pacific, 1500–1900 |volume=13 |year=2006 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing Company |location=Burlington, Vermont |isbn=978-0-7546-3978-7 |pages=53–62 |chapter=Diplomats and Plant Collectors: The South American Commission, 1817–1818 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E1d5L9tXXq0C&pg=PA53 }}</ref> Rodney was appointed to lead the commission to investigate whether the newly formed [[South America]]n republics should be recognized. He strongly advocated such recognition and, with 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]]. 

=== US Minister to Argentina ===

It also resulted in Rodney's 1823 appointment as United States [[Minister (diplomacy)|Minister Plenipotentiary]] to the [[United Provinces of the Río de 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]], and was buried there in the Victoria district British Cemetery. His remains were moved to a crypt at St. John's Cathedral in Buenos Aires. The crypt is at the [[peristyle]] of the entrance of the cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cementeriobritanico.org/# |title=Historias, Instituciones, Personajes |access-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209110630/http://www.cementeriobritanico.org/# |archive-date=December 9, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:Catedral_Anglicana_de_San_Juan_Bautista,_Buenos_Aires_001.JPG|250px|right|thumb|Located at the [[Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist]] at Buenos Aires, it reads "''In memory of the Most Excellent Mister C. A. Rodney. The first Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of North America close to the Argentine Republic. The Government of Buenos Aires, Decree of June 10, 1824 – Placed on February 28, 1832.''"]]

==Almanac==
Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Members of the General Assembly took office on the first Tuesday of January. State Representatives were elected for one year. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term. The General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who also took office March 4, but for a six-year term. In this case the General Assembly failed to fill the position for nearly a year.

{|class=wikitable style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-
!colspan=8 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 3, 1797
|January 2, 1798
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 2, 1798
|January 1, 1799
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 1, 1799
|January 7, 1800
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 7, 1800
|January 6, 1801
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 6, 1801
|January 5, 1802
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 5, 1802
|January 4, 1803
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Masonic}}
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|March 4, 1803
|March 3, 1805
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Masonic}}
|[[United States Attorney General|U.S. Attorney General]]
|[[Executive (government)|Executive]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|January 20, 1807
|December 5, 1811
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian}}
|[[Delaware Senate|State Senate]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Dover, Delaware|Dover]]
|January 3, 1815
|January 6, 1818
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Masonic}}
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|March 4, 1821
|January 22, 1822
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Masonic}}
|[[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]]
|[[Legislature]]
|[[Washington, D.C.]]
|January 10, 1822
|January 29, 1823
|
|-{{Party shading/Anti-Masonic}}
|[[Minister (diplomacy)|Resident Minister]]
|[[Executive (government)|Executive]]
|[[Buenos Aires]]
|January 29, 1823
|June 10, 1824
|[[Argentina]]
|}

{|class=wikitable style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1797
|[[Delaware General Assembly|21st]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Gunning Bedford Sr.]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1798
|[[Delaware General Assembly|22nd]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Daniel Rogers (politician)|Daniel Rogers]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1799
|[[Delaware General Assembly|23rd]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Richard Bassett (Delaware politician)|Richard Bassett]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1800
|[[Delaware General Assembly|24th]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Richard Bassett (Delaware politician)|Richard Bassett]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1801
|[[Delaware General Assembly|25th]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[James Sykes (governor)|James Sykes]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1802
|[[Delaware General Assembly|26th]]
|[[Delaware House of Representatives|State House]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[David Hall (Delaware politician)|David Hall]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1815
|[[Delaware General Assembly|39th]]
|[[Delaware Senate|State Senate]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Daniel Rodney]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1816
|[[Delaware General Assembly|40th]]
|[[Delaware Senate|State Senate]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[Daniel Rodney]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Federalist}}
|1817
|[[Delaware General Assembly|41st]]
|[[Delaware Senate|State Senate]]
|[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|[[John Clark (governor)|John Clark]]
|
|[[New Castle County|''New Castle at-large'']]
|}

{|class=wikitable style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |United States congressional service
|-
! Dates
! Congress
! Chamber
! Majority
! President
! Committees
! Class/District
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|1803–1805
|[[8th United States Congress|8th]]
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House]]
|[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|[[Thomas Jefferson]]
|
|[[Delaware's At-large congressional district|''at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|1821–1823
|[[17th United States Congress|17th]]
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House]]
|[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|[[James Monroe]]
|
|[[Delaware's At-large congressional district|''2nd at-large'']]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}}
|1821–1823
|[[17th United States Congress|17th]]
|[[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]]
|[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|[[James Monroe]]
|
|[[Classes of United States Senators|''class 1'']]
|}

{|class=wikitable style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|[[1802–03 United States House of Representatives elections|1802]]
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |Caesar A. Rodney
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |3,421
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |50%
|
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |[[James A. Bayard (politician, born 1767)|James A. Bayard]]
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |3,406
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |50%
|-
|[[1804–05 United States House of Representatives elections|1804]]
|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]
|
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |Caesar A. Rodney
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |[[Democratic-Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |4,038
|{{Party shading/Democratic-Republican}} |48%
|
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |[[James A. Bayard (politician, born 1767)|James A. Bayard]]
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |[[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]]
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |4,398
|{{Party shading/Federalist}} |52%
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
* Commonwealth v. Pullis ("The Philadelphia Cordwainers' Case"), Mayor's Court of Philadelphia (1806)
* {{Cite book |title=History of the State of Delaware |last=Conrad |first=Henry C. |publisher=Wickersham Company |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |year=1908 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Roger A. |year=1995 |title=Memoirs of twenty-two years in the Delaware State Senate |publisher=Roger A. Martin |location=Newark, Del. |oclc=34016846 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Martin |first=Roger A. |year=2003 |title=Delawareans in Congress |publisher=Roger A. Martin |location=Middletown, Del. |isbn=0-924117-26-5 |oclc=56794580 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Munroe |first=John A. |year=1954 |title=Federalist Delaware 1775–1815 |publisher=Rutgers University Press |location=New Brunswick, N.J. |oclc=1867660 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Read |first=William T. |year=1853 |title=Biographical Sketch of Caesar Augustus Rodney |publisher=C. P. Johnson |location=Wilmington, Del. |oclc=13813351 }}
* {{Cite book |last=Ryden |first=George Herbert |year=1943 |title=Biographical Sketches of Caesar Rodney (the Signer) Thomas Rodney and Caesar A. Rodney |publisher=Public Archives Commission |location=Dover, Del. |oclc=8230494 }}
* {{Cite book |title=History of Delaware 1609–1888. 2 vols |last=Scharf |first=John Thomas |publisher=L. J. Richards & Co |location=Philadelphia |year=1888 |isbn=0-87413-493-5}}
* {{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=W. Emerson |year=1969 |title=Forgotten Heroes of Delaware |publisher=Deltos Publishing Company |location=Cambridge, Mass. |oclc=56456 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000377 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
*[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/rodgers-rodriguez.html#R9M0JB71D The Political Graveyard]

{{S-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box |state= Delaware |district=AL|before= N/A|after= N/A|years=March 4, 1821 – January 24, 1822
}}
{{s-par|us-sen}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Outerbridge Horsey]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Senators from Delaware|Senator from Delaware]]|years=1822–1823}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Thomas Clayton]]}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-new|reason=newly independent
}}
{{s-ttl
| title=[[United States Ambassador to Argentina|U.S. Minister to Argentina]]
| years=December 27, 1823 – June 10, 1824
}}
{{s-aft
| after=[[John M. Forbes (diplomat)|John M. Forbes]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Democratic-Republican Party}}
{{USAttGen}}
{{United States senators from Delaware}}
{{United States representatives from Delaware}}
{{Jefferson cabinet}}
{{Madison cabinet}}
{{US Ambassadors to Argentina}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodney, Caesar Augustus}}
[[Category:1772 births]]
[[Category:1824 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Dover, Delaware]]
[[Category:People from colonial Delaware]]
[[Category:Attorneys general of the United States]]
[[Category:Jefferson administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Madison administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware]]
[[Category:Democratic-Republican Party United States senators from Delaware]]
[[Category:Ambassadors of the United States to Argentina]]
[[Category:Members of the Delaware House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware]]
[[Category:19th-century American diplomats]]
[[Category:Delaware lawyers]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the War of 1812]]
[[Category:Rodney family (Delaware)|Caesar Augustus]]
[[Category:19th-century United States senators]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Delaware General Assembly]]
[[Category:19th-century United States representatives]]