REQUESTING THE STATE OF DELAWARE, THE CITY OF DOVER, AND KENT COUNTY LEVY COURT COORDINATE WITH THE CITY OF WILMINGTON TO RELOCATE THE CAESAR RODNEY EQUESTRIAN STATUE TO THE GREEN IN DOVER, THE JOHN DICKINSON PLANTATION, OR ANOTHER SUITABLE LOCATION BEFORE THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Sen. Buckson & Rep. Yearick

Sens. Hocker, Lawson, Pettyjohn, Richardson, Wilson; Reps. Morris, D. Short, Spiegelman

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 65

REQUESTING THE STATE OF DELAWARE, THE CITY OF DOVER, AND KENT COUNTY LEVY COURT COORDINATE WITH THE CITY OF WILMINGTON TO RELOCATE THE CAESAR RODNEY EQUESTRIAN STATUE TO THE GREEN IN DOVER, THE JOHN DICKINSON PLANTATION, OR ANOTHER SUITABLE LOCATION BEFORE THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.

WHEREAS, Caesar Rodney was a Kent County, Delaware native, a founding father of the United States, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence; and

WHEREAS, Rodney is revered in state history for riding horseback through the night of July 1, 1776, and arriving in Philadelphia the following day to cast the deciding vote declaring the United States independent from Great Britain; and

WHEREAS, a historical marker located at Byfield, his family farm adjacent to the John Dickinson Plantation and the new Delaware Cultural and Historical Affairs Visitor Center dedicated to preserving our state’s history, commemorates his birth on October 7, 1728, and his legacy as one of Delaware’s most distinguished statesmen; and

WHEREAS, throughout his career of public service, Rodney was noted for his integrity, purity of character, and patriotic leadership; and

WHEREAS, the book

Caesar Rodney Patriot: Delaware’s Hero for All Times and All Seasons

notes that “In his brief 55-year life, he held more public offices than any other Delawarean before or since. He was a soldier, a judge, a delegate to the American Continental Congress, Speaker of the Delaware Assembly, a chief executive of Delaware, a justice of the state’s Supreme Court, and held many other offices of public trust”; and

WHEREAS, Caesar Rodney, native to Kent County, Delaware, held the titles of Sheriff, Recorder of Deeds, and Register of Wills in Levy Court; and

WHEREAS, the school district has chosen to embrace the significant contributions to the formation of our great nation for which Caesar Rodney is famous; and

WHEREAS, Wilmington’s Rodney Square was built in 1921, and the bronze monument of Caesar Rodney was unveiled in 1923 during Fourth of July celebrations; and

WHEREAS, the Caesar Rodney statue, which overlooked downtown Wilmington for nearly a century, served as the backdrop for historic city events, including a 2008 speech by then-presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, Rodney Square, the Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue, and the Nemours Building were placed on the National Register of Historic Places; and

WHEREAS, the statue was removed from Rodney Square and placed in storage in the summer of 2020; and

WHEREAS, it is vital to display our state’s rich history and sometimes challenging history, to local schoolchildren and residents as well as visitors from across the country and globe; and

WHEREAS, funding has been allocated in the state budget to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States, making it essential to include this significant piece of Delaware’s history, the Caesar Rodney statue, as part of the celebration by displaying it prominently in the City of Dover.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 153

rd

General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that we request the State of Delaware, the City of Dover, and Kent Country Levy Court coordinate with the City of Wilmington to relocate the Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue to The Green in Dover, the John Dickinson Plantation, or another suitable location before the Semiquincentennial Celebration.

SYNOPSIS

This Senate Concurrent Resolution requests that the State of Delaware, the City of Dover, and Kent County Levy Court coordinate with the City of Wilmington to relocate the Caesar Rodney Equestrian Statue to The Green in Dover, the John Dickinson Plantation, or another suitable location before the Semiquincentennial Celebration.

Author: Senator Buckson