Gov. Daniel Rodney

About

DANIEL RODNEY, brother of Delaware Governor Caleb Rodney (1822-1823) was born in Lewes, Delaware, on September 10, 1764. He received a rudimentary education, and embarked into a career in the mercantile industry. In 1793 Rodney entered public service as an associate judge of the Common Pleas Court, a position he held until 1806. He also served in 1808 as a presidential elector on the Federalist ticket, and in 1810 he made an unsuccessful run for the governor’s office. On October 5, 1813 he won election and became Delaware’s 10th governor. During his tenure, the United States and Great Britain were entrenched in war, and Rodney’s administration believed that the expenditures Delaware incurred defending itself were the federal government’s responsibility. Also, a state tax was constituted as well as a license to the Wilmington and Philadelphia Turnpike Company for the construction of gates on the turnpike between Wilmington and the Delaware-Pennsylvania boundary. Rodney finished his term on January 21, 1817, and continued his life in politics. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from October 1, 1822 to March 3, 1823. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate on November 8, 1826, and served until January 12, 1827 when a successor was elected. Governor Daniel Rodney died on September 2, 1826, and is buried at the St. Peter’s Churchyard in Lewes, Delaware. His brother was Delaware Governor Caleb Rodney.

Source

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress