'Richard Bassett' (
April 2 1745 –
August 15 1815) was an
American lawyer and
politician from
Dover, in
Kent County Delaware. He was a veteran of the
American Revolution, a delegate to the
U.S. Constitutional Convention of 1787, and a member of the
Federalist Party, who served in the
Delaware General Assembly, as
Governor of Delaware, and as
U.S. Senator from Delaware.
Early life and family
Bassett was born
April 2 1745 at Bohemia Ferry in
Cecil County,
Maryland, son of Arnold and Judith Thompson Bassett. His father was a part time tavern owner and farmer, but deserted the family when Bassett was young. He married Ann Ennals in 1774 and they had three children, Richard Ennals, Ann (known as Nancy), and Mary. After his first wife’s death he married Betsy Garnett in 1796. They were active members of the
Methodist Church, and gave the church much of their time and attention.
Fortunately, Bassett’s mother was the great granddaughter and an heiress of
Augustine Herrman, the original owner of Bohemia Manor, a massive estate in
Cecil County, and her family raised Bassett. Eventually this heritage provided him with inherited wealth and a plantation, Bohemia Manor, in
Cecil County, and much other property in
New Castle County,
Delaware..
Early political career
Bassett studied the law under Judge Robert Goldsborough of
Dorchester County,
Maryland and in 1770 was admitted to the
Bar. He moved to
Dover,
Delaware, then just the court town of
Kent County, and began a practice there. By concentrating on agricultural pursuits as well as religious and charitable concerns, he quickly established himself amongst the local gentry and “developed a reputation for
hospitality and
philanthropy.”
[1]
Bassett was a reluctant revolutionary, more closely in tune with the approach of
George Read than with his neighbors from
Kent County,
Caesar Rodney and
John Haslet. Nevertheless, in 1774 he was elected to the local Boston Relief Committee. When the new government of
Delaware was organized, Bassett served on the 1776
Delaware Council of Safety, and was a member of the convention responsible for drafting the
Delaware Constitution of 1776, which was adopted
September 20 1776. He was then one of the conservatives elected to
Delaware's first
Legislative Council, and served for four sessions, from 1776/77 through 1779/80. Subsequently, he was a member of the
House of Assembly for the 1780/81 and 1781/82 sessions, and returned to the
Legislative Council, for three sessions from 1782/83 through 1784/85. He concluded his state legislative career with a final term in the
House of Assembly during the 1786/87 session. He thereby represented
Kent County in all but one session of the
Delaware General Assembly from independence to the adoption of the
U.S. Constitution of 1787.
American Revolution
However, Bassett’s most notable contributions during the
American Revolution were his efforts to mobilize the state’s military. Some sources credit him with developing the plans for raising and staffing the
1st Delaware Regiment, with his neighbor
John Haslet at its command. Known as the "Delaware Continentals" or "Delaware Blues," they were from the smallest state, but at some 800 men, were the largest battalion in the army. David McCullough in ''1776'' describes them "turned out in handsome red trimmed blue coats, white waistcoats, buckskin breeches, white woolen stockings, and carrying fine, 'lately imported' English muskets. Raised in early 1776, they went into service in July and August 1776. Bassett also participated in the recruitment of the reserve militia that served in the “Flying Camp” of 1776, and the Dover Light Infantry, led by another neighbor,
Thomas Rodney.
When the
British Army marched through northern
New Castle County, on the way to the
Battle of Brandywine and the capture of
Philadelphia, Bassett “appears to have joined his friend Rodney in the field as a volunteer.” Once the Delaware militia returned home after the British retired from the area, Bassett continued as a part-time soldier, assuming command of the Dover Light Horse, Kent County's militia cavalry unit.
Federal Constitution and United States Senate
From his wartime experience, Bassett quickly came to realize the shortcoming of the government under the
Articles of Confederation, and was an early supporter of reforms. He was among those representing
Delaware in 1786 at the
Annapolis Convention, and again was part of the same delegation at the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 in
Philadelphia. Although he never spoke, and served on no committees, he was a strong supporter of the
Great Compromise promoted by another neighbor,
John Dickinson. With this agreement incorporated into the resulting document, Bassett made his major contribution to the effort by leading the effort to quickly gain its
ratification in
Delaware. He was so successful that
Delaware formally agreed just five months after the
Philadelphia Convention, and before any other state. Because of this,
Delaware has ever since been known as “the First State.”
With the establishment of the new government the
Delaware General Assembly elected Bassett as one of the first new
U.S. Senators. While there were no parties at the time he served, he was a supporter of a strong central government, and was allied particularly with the positions of
Vice President John Adams. He “supported
President George Washington's right to control the internal workings of the executive branch through the power of dismissing appointed officials, but he opposed some of
Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton's more extreme proposals for advancing the powers of the presidency.” He was also among the first to advocate removing the federal capital to a new city on the
Potomac River.
[2] Recent scholars have therefore classified him among the “Anti-Administration” members of the
1st Congress, but among the “Pro-Administration” members of the
2nd. In all he served in those two sessions, from
March 4 1789, to
March 3 1793, during the administration of
U.S. President George Washington.
Later political career
Meanwhile, the
Delaware Constitution of 1776, was in need of revision, and Bassett once again joined with
John Dickinson, in leading the convention to draft a revision, which became the
Delaware Constitution of 1792. Upon his retirement from the
United States Senate in 1793 he began a six-year term as the first Chief Justice of the
Court of Common Pleas in
Delaware. At the time it was a court of general civil jurisdiction and the predecessor of the present
Delaware Superior Court. By this time Bassett was formally a member of the
Federalist Party, and as such was elected
Governor of Delaware in 1799. It was during his time in office that
Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours first came to
Delaware to begin his gunpowder business.
However, it was also during his term that
Thomas Jefferson was elected
President of the United States, causing great concern for the future of the country among the
Federalists. The retiring
President John Adams, rushed the
Judiciary Act of 1801 through the
Federalist Congress, creating a number of new judgeships on the
United States circuit courts. Being a staunch
Federalist and old political ally,
Adams appointed Bassett at midnight on his last day in office in 1801 to one of the positions. He was one of the so-called
midnight judges. But the legislation was repealed by the new
Jeffersonian Congress, and his tenure ended quickly in April 1802. He never again held public office.
Methodism
In addition to his high profile in government, Bassett was a devout and energetic convert to
Methodism. Having met
Francis Asbury in 1778 at the home of their mutual friend, Judge Thomas White, Bassett soon had a conversion experience, and for the remainder of his life devoted much of his attention and wealth to the promotion of
Methodism. He and
Asbury remained lifelong friends. This association caused him to become linked in many people’s minds to the
loyalists, as both White and
Asbury were viewed to be opposed to the war. But it also led to a strong
abolitionist belief, which led him to free his own
slaves and advocate the emancipation of others.
Death and legacy
Bassett died
August 15 1815 at ''Bohemia Manor'' in
Cecil County Maryland and was first buried there. In 1865 his remains were moved to a Bassett and
Bayard mausoleum in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery,
Wilmington Delaware.
Bassett was a stout man of medium build. He was very fashionable and influential in society. At the
Constitutional Convention of 1787 he was described as "gentlemanly, a religious enthusiast and a man of plain sense" with "modesty enough to hold his tongue." Bassett’s daughter, Anne married
James A. Bayard, a
U.S. Representative and
U.S. Senator, and they were the ancestors of the branch of the
Bayard family that has played a prominent role in
Delaware politics ever since. His niece and adopted daughter, Rachel McCleary, married
Governor Joshua Clayton of yet another family long prominent in
Delaware politics.
Public offices
Elections were held the first Tuesday of October. Before 1792, members of the
General Assembly took office on the twentieth day of October.
Legislative Councilors had a three year term and the
Assemblymen had a one year term. After 1792, the
Governor was popularly elected and took office the third Tuesday in January, for a term of three years. The
General Assembly chose the delegates to the
U.S. Constitution Convention. They also chose the
U.S. Senators, who took office March 4th, and normally served for a six year term. However, Bassett's term was for only four years to establish a rotation.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
! 'Office'
! 'Type'
! 'Location'
! 'Elected'
! 'Term began'
! 'Term ends'
! 'notes'
|-
|
Legislative Councilor
|
Legislature
|
New Castle
|1776
|
October 20 1776
|
October 20 1779
|
|-
|
Legislative Councilor
|
Legislature
|
Dover
|1779
|
October 20 1779
|
October 20 1780
|
|-
|
Assemblyman
|
Legislature
|
Dover
|1780
|
October 20 1780
|
October 20 1781
|
|-
|
Assemblyman
|
Legislature
|
Dover
|1781
|
October 20 1781
|
October 21 1782
|
|-
|
Legislative Councilor
|
Legislature
|
Dover
|1782
|
October 21 1782
|
October 20 1785
|
|-
|
Assemblyman
|
Legislature
|
Dover
|1786
|
October 20 1786
|
October 21 1787
|
|-
|
Delegate
|
Convention
|
Philadelphia
|
|
May 14 1787
|
September 17 1787
|
United States
|-
|
U.S. Senator
|
Legislature
|
Philadelphia
|
|
March 4 1789
|
March 3 1793
|
class 2
|-
|
Delegate
|
State Convention
|
Dover
|
|November 1792
|
June 12 1792
|
Delaware
|-
|
Chief Justice
|
Judiciary
|
Dover
|
|1793
|
January 9 1799
|
Court of Common Pleas
|-
|
Governor
|
Executive
|
Dover
|1798
|
January 9 1799
|
February 20 1801
|resigned
|-
|
Judge
|
Judiciary
|
Dover
|
|
February 20 1801
|April 1802
|U.S. Circuit Court
Election results
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!'Year'
!'Office'
!
!'Subject'
!'Party'
!'Votes'
!'%'
!
!'Opponent'
!'Party'
!'Votes'
!'%'
|-
|1798
|
Governor
|
| |Richard Bassett
| |
Federalist
| |2,490
| |52%
|
| |
David Hall
| |
Democratic-Republican
| |2,068
| |44%
Notes
1. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution [1]
2. Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution [2]
References
★
Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States 1789-1978, , Robert, Sobel, Greenwood Press, 1988, ISBN 0-930466-00-4
★
Democracy in Delaware, , Carol E., Hoffecker, Cedar Tree Books, 2004, ISBN 1-892142-23-6
★
Federalist Delaware 1775-1815, Munroe, John A., , , Rutgers University, New Brunswick, 1954,
★
History of Delaware, , John A., Munroe, University of Delaware Press, 1993, ISBN 0-87413-493-5
★
History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols., , John Thomas, Scharf, L. J. Richards & Co., 1888, ISBN 0-87413-493-5
★
History of the State of Delaware, , Henry C., Conrad, Wickersham Company, 1908,
★
History of Delaware Through its Governors, , Roger A., Martin, McClafferty Press, 1984,
★
Memoirs of the Senate, Martin, Roger A., , , Newark, 1995,
Images
★ National Portrait Gallery.
[3]
External links
★ Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
[4]
★ Delaware’s Governors
[5]
★ History of Delaware 1609-1888
[6]
★ National Governors Association
[7]
★ Political Graveyard
[8]
★ Soldier-Statesmen of the Constitution
[9]
★ People, Races, Ethnicity in the U.S.
[10]
Places with more information
★ Historical Society of Delaware
[11] 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware (302) 655-7161
★ University of Delaware Library
[12] 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware (302) 831-2965
{|class="toccolours" align="center" width=94% style="margin:0.5em 1em; clear:both"
|-
! |
{|class=toccolours style="margin: 0 2em 0 2em;" width=100% style="background: #CCCCFF"
||
Seal of the US Senate
! width=100% |
United States CongressSenate • • • Senate Committees •
House • • • House Committees • • Districts
1st Congress • 2nd Congress
|rowspan=2 |
Seal of the US House
|}
|-
|}
العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
Español
