The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-05-04
{ THE DELAWARE sAULsRURYs.
Three Brothers Candidates for Unitea
StatcS Senator In Ono InoIslatr.a

states Senator In Ono Legislature.
The recent death of Willard Sauls.
Dury, chancellor of Delaware and for
TWO terms United States senator, re-
calls some remarkable incidents in the
history of his little state, says the Buff
1alo Courier. 1t seems to be the rule
that small states should be ruled by
fainiilcS. For many years the Spragucs
contested the control of Rhode Island
VITA i;roWn. Ives * Co., and in the Same
way Tor long the Saulsburys disputed
with the house of Bayard the leader
snip III Delaware. Although the Snuls-
burEs did not hand down political hon
ori from father to son, as the Hayards
tild, they too were an old family, and
the latc chancellor had in his possession,
tiIic deeds to the ancestral farm, which
went back two hundred years. His
luther, Il farmer, was 4; prominent man
IN Kent county and had been its sheriff.
Willard was educated in Delaware and
Dickinson colleges, began practicinr
law in Georgetown, Sussex county, and
soon obtained such hold upon the Dco
pie through his good looks, remarkable
learning, brilliant oratory and popular
manners that ut twenty-ninc he bccamc
years later, in 1858, he was elected to
The United States senate, and when his
term expired he was reelected. He bore
prominent part in the senate and was
Stanch union man, but he drank so
hard that he became Il national scandal;
the exhibitions OF the late III. III. Riddle
berger never attracted onc-tcnth as
much attention as did those of the bril-
liant DGlawarcan.
In the meantime one of his brothers.
Cove Salisbury, Il physician, had be-
come speaker of the Delaware senate of
nine members, and by the death of the
republican war governor, William Can
non, had succeeded in 1868 to tie chief
EaSistracy, the Office of lieutenant gov
crnor not existing in Delaware. In
lSG3 he had been elected governor. The
Delaware legislature consists of three
senators and seven representatives from
each of the three counties. and WHOM
the time came in 1870 for the election of
United States senator ut the cXpira-
ton OF Wizards second term. folrtcc,
were for his reelection, fifteen were for
Cove, and one for the third brother of
The family, Eli, n Dover lawyer whose
public services had been confined To Il
single term in the legislature. Nobody
Dut the three brothers was even men
toned. Finally Eli got another vote.
"A delegation went across Dover green
to his office to see if he would accent.
AZ hrst he would not hear of it, but mt
length he was persuaded, and in ten
minutes had been elected by IL combinn-
ton of New Castle and Kent counties
Sussex standing stnnchly by Willard.
Willard warmly welcomed Eli rs his
successor, and the latter served three
terms, and when he finally retired in
1850 pulled down the Democratic con.
troll OF the legislature with him. making
way for Anthony Higgins, a republican,
Cove returned to the practice of mcdi-
enc In Dover, where he died in 1861.
IN 49," w Hard was appointed chancel-
lor OF the state by his brothcr-in-law.
GOV. ionder a promise TO abstain en-
.irciy from drink was first obtained
from hun, and this was kept except for
one or two lapscs of which people gen
orally did not hear. He worked hard
and is said to have made an excellent
chancellor, though very infirm physi-
cally during the last portion of his life.
his legs having been paralyzcd for
many years. He was the seventh
chancellor which the state had in one
hundred years. Ex-senator Eli Sauls-
bury is still living in Dover near his
brothers house, but is in poor health
When he passes away the power of the
Saulsbnrys will probably be MS extinct
in Delaware as that of the Claytons.
although there is n second generation
which has cut some figure at tie bar
and in politics. OF the three brothers
Willard was the youngest, having been
born in 1920; Cove was born in 1915. and
Eli in 1877.