Daniel Rodney

{{see also|Rodney family of Delaware}}

Rodney was born at Lewes in the Delaware Colony, son of John and Ruth Hunn Rodney, brother of future Governor Caleb Rodney, and distantly related to Caesar Rodney. He married Sarah Fisher and they had eight children, Hannah, George, John, William, Henry, Nicholas, Susan, and Mary. They lived at 231 Second Street and were members of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Lewes.

Rodney received little schooling, and worked as a sailor and merchant for some years. There is a story that before he was 21 years old he had his own ship and that during the American Revolution he was twice captured by the British. From 1793 to 1806, he served as a Judge in the Court of Common Pleas, during roughly the same time as Trustee of the Poor. He was also a trustee of Wilmington College.

His own political career began in 1810, when he ran for Governor of Delaware as a Federalist. He lost to the Democratic candidate, Joseph Haslet, by only 71 votes. His next campaign, in 1813, was against James Riddle of New Castle, and largely because of the unpopularity of the War of 1812, he was successful. He served as Governor of Delaware from January 18, 1814, to January 21, 1817.

The last year of the War of 1812 was as unnerving as the others had been. The British naval presence off the coast was more intermittent, but Indian River received a serious raid in June 1814. The burning of Washington, in August, however, really brought the war home. Everyone feared attacks up the coast. In Philadelphia old former President Thomas McKean was brought out of retirement to organize the defenses, and finally Pea Patch Island was actually fortified. The progress of the British army was halted at Baltimore and Delaware was not attacked again. Commodore Thomas Macdonough of Odessa was one of the heroes of 1814, defeating the British fleet on Lake Champlain, and U.S. Senator James A. Bayard Sr. of Wilmington was one of the commissioners to the peace conference that produced the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war.

In the U.S. presidential election of 1820, Rodney received 4 electoral votes for Vice President, but lost overwhelmingly to incumbent Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins. This was the last virtually uncontested presidential election in U.S. history, with incumbent U.S. President James Monroe facing no opposition. The lack of contest documented the complete collapse of the Federalist Party everywhere except Delaware.

When Caesar A. Rodney resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives in 1822, Daniel Rodney was elected to replace him, serving in the U.S. House from October 1, 1822, to March 3, 1823. Several years later Daniel Rodney was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Nicholas Van Dyke. He served briefly from November 8, 1826, to January 12, 1827, when the General Assembly chose another replacement.

Rodney died at Lewes and is buried there in St. Peter's Episcopal Churchyard. His son George B. Rodney served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1841 until 1845.

Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and had a three-year term. 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.

• {{cite book |title=History of the State of Delaware |last=Conrad |first=Henry C. |publisher=Wickersham Company |location=Lancaster, Pennsylvania |year=1908 }}
• {{cite book |title=A History of Delaware Through its Governors |last=Martin |first=Roger A. |publisher=McClafferty Press |location=Wilmington, Delaware |year=1984 }}
• {{cite book |title=Federalist Delaware 1775–1815 |last=Munroe |first=John A. |publisher=Rutgers University |location=New Brunswick, New Jersey |year=1954 }}
• {{cite book |title=History of Delaware 1609–1888. 2 vols |last=Scharf |first=John Thomas |author-link=John Thomas Scharf |publisher=L. J. Richards & Co |location=Philadelphia |year=1888 |isbn=0-87413-493-5}}
• {{cite book |title=Forgotten Heroes of Delaware |last=Wilson |first=Emerson. |publisher=Deltos Publishing Company |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |year=1969 }}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930032635/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=fada224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States]
• [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000378 Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]
• [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov2.htm#drod Delaware's Governors]
• {{Find a Grave|7489303}}
• [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/rodgers-rodriguez.html#R9M0JB74X The Political Graveyard]

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Category:1764 births

Category:1846 deaths

Category:Businesspeople from Delaware

Category:Governors of Delaware

Category:People from Lewes, Delaware

Category:United States senators from Delaware

Category:1820 United States vice-presidential candidates

Category:National Republican Party United States senators

Category:Delaware National Republicans

Category:Federalist Party state governors of the United States

Category:Federalist Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware

Category:People from colonial Delaware

Category:19th-century American Episcopalians

Category:Rodney family (Delaware)

Category:18th-century American merchants

Category:19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Category:19th-century United States senators

Category:Candidates in the 1810 United States elections