Caesar Rodney

Caesar Rodney was born in 1728 near Dover, Delaware, and became a planter, a longtime member of the colonial assembly, and a militia commander. He suffered from a painful cancer of the face, which he concealed as best he could and which finally shortened his life. On the night of 1–2 July 1776 he rode to Philadelphia, summoned because the Delaware delegation was split: Thomas McKean was prepared to vote for independence, George Read was not. Rodney's arrival allowed Delaware to cast its vote for independence. He later signed the Declaration, served as president (governor) of Delaware through much of the war, and continued to lead militia when the state was threatened. He never married. Rodney died in 1784. The ride to Philadelphia is well documented and needs no embroidery; it is a clear picture of a sick man accepting a hard duty at a decisive hour.

See also: Signers of the Declaration · George Read · Thomas McKean