Daily Republican., 1883-06-21
GEORGE B. RODNEY.
NETTING Or THE NEW CAsTLE
YAR-RESOLUTIONs or
RESPECT

The mem btrS OF lHt tHe ,NeW casli'
h,r held meeting in the Court House
Al noon yesterday, to take action on tht
Jeutb of George B. Rodney, Esq. Judge
bradford was called to the chair, and
Austin Harrington and Alexander b
Cooper, Esqs, appointed Secretafies.-.
The object of the meeting was stated
nv Judge Wales, and on morton the
chairman appointed COMMITTEES con
si,inp Of Judge Wales, and George
Gray William G. Spruance and Will
ian G. Whittley Esqs., to draft reso.
unous of respect to the deceased. The
committee retired, and after short alb
sancn returned with the following,
which were read by Judge Wales
MIR, CHAIKMAN In submitting the
resolutions which the committee has in
s,ru .ted me to present to this meeting,
il may be proper to say that while they
express nothing more than the whole
trutl, they do not express the whole
truth, and are designed to be suggestive
rather than delineatiUn Of the charac"
fer OF the man III honor of whose
memory we have now assembled. In
deed, MIR. Rohney's moral, intellectual
and personal traits could not be de-
s,1ibrd in few words, and all that can
be accomplished by this meeting, called
SO soon after his death, is to testify our
characterization in a general way of the
eyrpI,rnce of his individual and pro-
fr sipnal character
Mr.. Rodney was native OF Sussex
Coauty and came Of distinguished an
ces.Iy Tie name has been tavorab'y
slci ltel VITA tur history Of the colony
and state OF Delaware from the be-
ginnlug. Receiving his acadenical
Education It. Prinacton College, he
s,uIiicd law in the office of his kinsnlAn.
|Cr,ar A. kOdncy, who had been At
tvYipv General in .Ee Cabinet OF Jrtftr-
son AID united States Senator from
TINS .tite. Set:IiL. first in his native
CoHnt} where for IL short time he fl led
IT,, offices OF the Clerk of the Orphans
Court and Register in Chancery, and
act liring an intimate knowledge Of the
practice III those courts which were Of
great assistance to him afterwards, he
removed to New Castle at the close Of
the first quarter OF the present century,
and there he continued to reside to the
day Of his death.
Twice, between the years of 1910 and
1851, the people Of Delaware conferred
hlpJu him the honor of representing
them III Congress, but sharing the for
tunes Of the political party with which
he was identified, with its defeat he re-
turned TO private life, though he didnot
ceaoe att any time to take Jealous inter
est in pubic affairs. He was, however,
emiueutiy conservative in temperament
and disposition, and as matter Of choice
preferred the uuieter and more congo
nial duties Of his profession to the ex-
element and anxiety of a political ca
rcer 1t is therefore, i'll the faithful and
reputable performance Of those duties,
with which we are more familiar, that
we are to look for the manifestations of
thoat qualities which won for him the
confidence, respect and admiration not
alolle of his professional brethren but |
of Al. classes OF the community.
tn. oldest member OF the bar here
pre- ert can on.y remeulb Der him after his
character had been fully developed and |
he was in the fu.. tide Of ofpractce. Tney |
can recall the careful preparation of his
CASTS, the clear, concise style of his |
rea,rAing his zeal in argument, his
diIL!tied and courteous manner Like
I'll" eminent lawyers of his day he was
WEI. versed III the learning of the com
mon law, was accustomed to discuss
lcga! principles and to rely more on
them and on well established rules than
on modern preCtdcnts.
Age, if nothing else, makes most men
cah!uua i'll approving, if not suspicious
|Ol InhuvaIious, and it is well for the al
mlnlatrltlun OF Justice tlat there should
Away he an element i'll the legal pro-
irSaon which opposes sudden changes
|soIrc'iInrS hut lot always retorlns--in
procedure or on the statute book. He
believed III WORK, III education, in sounG
morals both in public and in private
d'i.,r to the Divine law. He preferred |
TO Keep il the beaten track to trying
new paths unless the latter could be
proceed to b" better and safer. In a
word, he was 40. a man of experiments ;
letHl OF all W"u.u he experiment with IA
prlhrlple. lie was Known to be Il just
|Ilan, " JuriGous, uUnsiderae and safe
fconIioe.IOr, learned and experienced.
lilc result was as slre us the operation
pl ., l;t'ura! law
lie had Il large oi"ntage, and perhaps
ho lawyer il. The State had more i'm
poltant aiG varied interests entrusted
10 his WISE careful and skilful manage
nent Outside Of his profession his
lte "as unevcnttu in u public sense,
wl'l. the exception already alluded to,
)'ll It was cnviable from the fact that
was uselu,, reputable, upright and
loAorNbIe. An aged gentleman now
ivN@, VIII" knew Mr.. Rodney while
aW student in Wilmington, informed
hc that he was a. that time studious,
F'rIe,t III conduct and in every respect
exemplary. He appeared to be unam-
Ptio'S Of pubic honors or Of official
Ration.
ne declined to accept the commission
iIri Justice OF the State which was
liI".od to him by Governor Causey on
ii' resignation Of Judge Harrington,
position that he WAS well qualified by
Aaracter. learning and ability, to fill
or 40 we know that at any time he
Irrctiy sought political or profess
ohal preterment Of any kind. He |
Vcd TO ripe age, and was the sur I
'Hor, with one exception, Of a genera !
Oh OF older lawyers. He knew and
'menbered the Reeds, the Claytons,
pc Booths, the Johns, Vanlyke, Nc S
tane, Rogers, and others who were
|roninent and some of them distin- {
llished members OF this bar in the {
ariy part of the century. His remini-
c2llces OF these men were entertaining |
nd instructive, and he once promised [
employ leisure hour in writing out I
one of his recollections. If he has s
one 50, they will constitute a valuable |
PSacy to our bar e
III contemplating the end Of such ,
lc, thus briefly sketchcd, there is moth c
y to eminh US Of bemishes or defects t
ILer than :hosc which are inseparable |
rom the best Of mortais, but which are
tnt in the shade by the steady lustrc c
shining virtues. His youthful years +
marked by studiuus and correct habits t
manhood Of honest, useful and indus t
llNIh urti viz ", Il lnrDl.nll old anI 1nn |