Willard Saulsbury Sr.

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Willard Saulsbury Sr.
Chancellor of Delaware
In office
November 14, 1873 – April 6, 1892
Preceded byDaniel M. Bates
Succeeded byJames L. Wolcott
United States Senator
from Delaware
In office
March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1871
Preceded byMartin W. Bates
Succeeded byEli Saulsbury
10th Attorney General of Delaware
In office
1850–1855
GovernorWilliam Tharp
William H. H. Ross
Preceded byEdward W. Gilpin
Succeeded byGeorge P. Fisher
Personal details
Born(1820-06-02)June 2, 1820
Kent County, Delaware
DiedApril 6, 1892(1892-04-06) (aged 71)
Dover, Delaware
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAnnie Ponder
RelationsEli Saulsbury (brother)
Gove Saulsbury (brother)
Children3, including Willard Jr.
ResidenceGeorgetown, Delaware
Alma materDelaware College
ProfessionLawyer

Willard Saulsbury Sr. (June 2, 1820 – April 6, 1892) was an American lawyer and politician from Georgetown, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as Attorney General of Delaware, U.S. Senator from Delaware and Chancellor of Court of Chancery of Delaware.

Early life and family

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Saulsbury was born in Mispillion Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, son of William & Margaret Ann Smith Saulsbury. He was a younger brother of Governor Gove Saulsbury and U.S. Senator Eli Saulsbury. He married Annie Ponder, sister of Governor James Ponder, and they had three children, John Ponder, Margaret, and Willard Jr. They were members of the Episcopal Church. Saulsbury was educated at Dickinson College and Delaware College, which is now the University of Delaware, studied law, was admitted to the Delaware Bar, and began his practice in Georgetown, Delaware. He was a slaveholder.[1]

Political career

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Saulsbury was the Delaware Attorney General from 1850 until 1855, and was elected to the United States Senate in 1858, defeating incumbent U.S. Senator Martin W. Bates. Saulsbury was reelected in 1864, but was defeated for a third term in 1870 by his older brother, Eli Saulsbury. He served two full terms from March 4, 1859, to March 4, 1871. He then continued his law practice and served as Chancellor of Delaware from 1873 until his death in 1892.

In 1863, Saulsbury was a vehement critic of President Abraham Lincoln's administration. Opposing the war in general and the suspension of habeas corpus specifically, Saulsbury attempted to prevent a vote sustaining that controversial executive order. Apparently intoxicated, Saulsbury verbally attacked the President on the Senate floor in what John Hay described as "language fit only for a drunken fishwife". Senator Saulsbury called Lincoln "an imbecile" and stated that the President was "the weakest man ever placed in a high office". When Vice President Hannibal Hamlin called Saulsbury to order, the Senator refused to take his seat. Finally, the Senate's sergeant-at-arms approached to remove Saulsbury from the Senate floor when the Senator suddenly brandished a revolver, placed it against the sergeant's head and said, "Damn you, if you touch me I'll shoot you dead!" Eventually, Saulsbury was calmed and removed from the Senate floor.[2]

Death and legacy

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Saulsbury died at Dover and is buried there in the Christ Episcopal Church Cemetery. His son Willard Saulsbury Jr. was also a U.S. Senator.

Almanac

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The General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who took office March 4 for a six-year term.

Public offices
Office Type Location Began office Ended office Notes
Attorney General Executive Dover 1850 1855 Delaware
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington March 4, 1859 March 3, 1865
U.S. Senator Legislature Washington March 4, 1865 March 3, 1871
Chancellor Judiciary Dover November 14, 1873 April 6, 1892 State Chancery Court
United States congressional service
Dates Congress Chamber Majority President Committees Class/District
1859–1861 36th U.S. Senate Democratic James Buchanan class 2
1861–1863 37th U.S. Senate Republican Abraham Lincoln class 2
1863–1865 38th U.S. Senate Republican Abraham Lincoln class 2
1865–1867 39th U.S. Senate Republican Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson 		class 2
1867–1869 40th U.S. Senate Republican Andrew Johnson class 2
1869–1871 41st U.S. Senate Republican Ulysses S. Grant class 2

References

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  1. ^ Weil, Julie Zauzmer; Blanco, Adrian; Dominguez, Leo. "More than 1,800 congressmen once enslaved Black people. This is who they were, and how they shaped the nation". Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Battle of Three Brothers". Senate Historical Office. January 17, 1871. Retrieved November 10, 2012.)
  • Hoffecker, Carol E. (2004). Democracy in Delaware. Cedar Tree Books, Wilmington. ISBN 1-892142-23-6.
  • Munroe, John A. (1993). History of Delaware. University of Delaware Press. ISBN 0-87413-493-5.
  • Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co. ISBN 0-87413-493-5.
  • Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware, 3 vols. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wickersham Company.

Images

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Places with more information

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Legal offices
Preceded by Attorney General of Delaware
1850–1855 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Delaware
March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1871
Served alongside: James A. Bayard Jr., George R. Riddle, James A. Bayard Jr., Thomas F. Bayard 		Succeeded by
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