Caleb P. Bennett
Encyclopedia
Caleb Prew Bennett was an American soldier and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the American Revolution and the War of 1812, and a member of the Democratic Party who served as Governor of Delaware.
, a unit of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He enlisted as a 17 year old in 1775, and served throughout the war. Present at Valley Forge
and the battles of Staten Island
, Brandywine
, Germantown
, Monmouth
, Camden
, and Yorktown, he was wounded three times. After the disastrous Battle of Camden
in August 1780, when the 1st Delaware Regiment
was decimated, Lt. Bennett was sent back to Delaware to recruit. A year later, as General George Washington
and the French were gathering everyone possible for the Siege of Yorktown
, Bennett rejoined the army, and recalled it as follows:
After the surrender Bennett’s orderly book noted that on “November 4, 1781 we joined General Gist’s Brigade, and began our march to join General Greene’s army in South Carolina.” Bennett served for two more years in South Carolina, finally returning home January 17, 1783.
During the War of 1812
he was Captain of the Artillery and Commander of the town of New Castle. According to Scharf, Bennett “was placed in control of measures to be taken at New Castle and the battery that was erected close to the town. He was made colonel of the militia and soon had a well-disciplined force of infantry and artillery.” But all did not go well for the veteran soldier. Brigadier General and Whig political rival John Stockton brought Bennett to a courts martial for failing to perform his duty. The charges were not proved, and the ever popular Bennett was acquitted.
and minority Democrats
. The Whigs were the party in opposition to U.S. President Andrew Jackson
, his political successors and their policies. They were for a strong Union, good banks and a protective tariff. As the primary heirs to the old Federalist Party in Delaware, their greatest strength was among the old stock, rural, agricultural population in Kent and Sussex County. Conversely, the Democrats were in support of Jacksonian
policies, and found their strength in New Castle County and among Quakers, Ulster-Scots and the more recent immigrants.
Bennett speculated in various businesses, including the ferry service across the Christiana River at Wilmington and the Governor Bedford house on the Strand in New Castle, which he turned into a hotel. He also served as treasurer of New Castle County from 1806 to 1832. Having never sought political office previously, he was drafted by the Democrats, desperate to break the Federalist/Whig stranglehold on the governorship. In spite of his venerable veteran status, he was elected Governor in 1832 by only 54 votes, defeating U.S. Senator Arnold Naudain
, the Whig candidate. Serving from January 15, 1833 until his death in office on July 11, 1836, Bennett was the oldest person ever to start a term as governor in Delaware. He was also the first Governor elected under the Delaware Constitution of 1831
and, therefore, the first elected to a four year term.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1833–1834
|57th
|
| |National Republican
| |Joshua Burton
|
| |National Republican
| |John Raymond
|-
|1835–1836
|58th
|
| |Whig
| |Charles Polk, Jr.
|
| |Whig
| |William D. Waples
|-
For years Delaware's Governors had pleaded with the General Assembly to reform the state's penal system. Carol Hoffecker in Democracy in Delaware relates how Bennett continued the effort, asking the General Assembly in 1835 to "abolish imprisonment for debt, and the pillory, which yet remains a stigma to our county towns, and a disgrace to the statutes of the state in an age otherwise characterized by intelligence, progress and philanthropy." Regardless of his efforts, nothing was changed.
Hoffecker also describes how, in the increasingly highly charged national debate over the tariff and states rights, Bennett "denounced South Carolina's attempt to nullify a federal tariff. He called the nullification doctrine a rebellion based on "heresy. It was in union," he reminded his audience, "that we wrested our liberties from the grasp of oppression. The union is our whole strength, our sole support."
Internal improvements continued during this period. The federal government assisted in the building of much needed breakwaters at Lewes
, the Frenchtown & New Castle Railroad replaced its wooden rails with steel so they could support a new steam engine, and construction began on the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Wilmington Railroad and the Delaware Railroad.
, at Fourth and West Streets. He was the fifth Governor of Delaware to die in office.
U.S. Representative William G. Whiteley
remembered Bennett near the end of his life as
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Took Office
! Left Office
! notes
|-
|Governor
|Executive
|Dover
|January 15, 1833
|July 11, 1836
|died in office
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1832
|Governor
|
| |Caleb P. Bennett
| |Democratic
| |4,220
| |50%
|
| |Arnold Naudain
| |National Republican
| |4,166
| |50%
Early life and family
Bennett was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, son of Joseph & Elizabeth Prew Willey Bennett. They moved to Wilmington when he was 3 years old. His father was a ship captain who sailed to the West Indies. Caleb Bennett married Catherine Britton in 1792 and they had thirteen children, Samuel Britton, Elizabeth, Caroline, Mary Ann, Henry Lisle, Livina, Joseph Eves, Susan, Charles Webb, William, Catherine, Edin R., and Boadicea. They lived at 841 Market Street in Wilmington and were members of the Wilmington Friends Meeting.Military career
Bennett served as a lieutenant in the 1st Delaware Regiment1st Delaware Regiment
The 1st Delaware Regiment was raised on December 9, 1775 for service with the continental army under the command of Colonel John Haslet. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of...
, a unit of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He enlisted as a 17 year old in 1775, and served throughout the war. Present at Valley Forge
Valley Forge
Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War.-History:...
and the battles of Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, Brandywine
Battle of Brandywine
The Battle of Brandywine, also known as the Battle of the Brandywine or the Battle of Brandywine Creek, was fought between the American army of Major General George Washington and the British-Hessian army of General Sir William Howe on September 11, 1777. The British defeated the Americans and...
, Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
, Monmouth
Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
, Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
, and Yorktown, he was wounded three times. After the disastrous Battle of Camden
Battle of Camden
The Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
in August 1780, when the 1st Delaware Regiment
1st Delaware Regiment
The 1st Delaware Regiment was raised on December 9, 1775 for service with the continental army under the command of Colonel John Haslet. The regiment would see action during the New York Campaign, Battle of Trenton, Battle of Princeton, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of...
was decimated, Lt. Bennett was sent back to Delaware to recruit. A year later, as General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and the French were gathering everyone possible for the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, Bennett rejoined the army, and recalled it as follows:
“We remained at our post at Christeen (Cristiana), performing the duties required, until the French Army from Rhode Island, and other detachments of the army, with the commander-in-chief at their head, arrived at our rendezvous in the month of August, when we received orders from General Washington to prepare to follow on to Virginia. In a few days we took up our line of march for Baltimore; we remained in that city for some days, when small craft was prepared for our reception to proceed to Annapolis, where the French transports were waiting for the French army to embark.
On our arrival at Annapolis we embarked also, on board the Marquis Lafayette. When the troops were all on board, the fleet of transports, with two frigates, weighed anchor and preceded, with a fair wind, down the Chesapeake Bay till we arrived at Linhaven Bay, where the French fleet were moored. We passed the mouth of the York River, where lay two or three French frigates blockading the entrance. We lay that night at anchor with the fleet.
Early next morning the transports proceeded up the James River (all this time with a fair wind) until we arrived in the neighborhood of Williamsburg, Virginia, where we landed and joined the troops assembled there.
As soon as the troops had all concentrated, with General Washington at their head, we left Williamsburg and proceeded on our route for Yorktown, where the British troops had fortified themselves, under the command of Lord Cornwallis. The whole army arrived in the evening and took possession of the ground around the town, driving in their outpost, which we affected without much loss or inconvenience on our part; accomplished the end we had in view, that was to form our camp so as to encircle the whole outworks.”
After the surrender Bennett’s orderly book noted that on “November 4, 1781 we joined General Gist’s Brigade, and began our march to join General Greene’s army in South Carolina.” Bennett served for two more years in South Carolina, finally returning home January 17, 1783.
During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
he was Captain of the Artillery and Commander of the town of New Castle. According to Scharf, Bennett “was placed in control of measures to be taken at New Castle and the battery that was erected close to the town. He was made colonel of the militia and soon had a well-disciplined force of infantry and artillery.” But all did not go well for the veteran soldier. Brigadier General and Whig political rival John Stockton brought Bennett to a courts martial for failing to perform his duty. The charges were not proved, and the ever popular Bennett was acquitted.
Governor of Delaware
In the mid 19th century politics in Delaware were divided between the majority WhigsWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
and minority Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The Whigs were the party in opposition to U.S. President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
, his political successors and their policies. They were for a strong Union, good banks and a protective tariff. As the primary heirs to the old Federalist Party in Delaware, their greatest strength was among the old stock, rural, agricultural population in Kent and Sussex County. Conversely, the Democrats were in support of Jacksonian
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
policies, and found their strength in New Castle County and among Quakers, Ulster-Scots and the more recent immigrants.
Bennett speculated in various businesses, including the ferry service across the Christiana River at Wilmington and the Governor Bedford house on the Strand in New Castle, which he turned into a hotel. He also served as treasurer of New Castle County from 1806 to 1832. Having never sought political office previously, he was drafted by the Democrats, desperate to break the Federalist/Whig stranglehold on the governorship. In spite of his venerable veteran status, he was elected Governor in 1832 by only 54 votes, defeating U.S. Senator Arnold Naudain
Arnold Naudain
Dr. Arnold Snow Naudain was an American physician and politician from Odessa, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and a member of the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S...
, the Whig candidate. Serving from January 15, 1833 until his death in office on July 11, 1836, Bennett was the oldest person ever to start a term as governor in Delaware. He was also the first Governor elected under the Delaware Constitution of 1831
Delaware Constitution of 1831
The Delaware Constitution of 1831 was the third governing document for Delaware state government and was in effect from its adoption on December 2, 1831 until replaced on June 4, 1897 by the present state Constitution....
and, therefore, the first elected to a four year term.
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1833–1834
|57th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |Joshua Burton
|
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |John Raymond
|-
|1835–1836
|58th
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...
|
| |Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
| |Charles Polk, Jr.
Charles Polk, Jr.
Charles Polk, Jr. was an American farmer and politician from Big Stone Beach, in Milford Hundred, Kent County, Delaware...
|
| |Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
| |William D. Waples
|-
For years Delaware's Governors had pleaded with the General Assembly to reform the state's penal system. Carol Hoffecker in Democracy in Delaware relates how Bennett continued the effort, asking the General Assembly in 1835 to "abolish imprisonment for debt, and the pillory, which yet remains a stigma to our county towns, and a disgrace to the statutes of the state in an age otherwise characterized by intelligence, progress and philanthropy." Regardless of his efforts, nothing was changed.
Hoffecker also describes how, in the increasingly highly charged national debate over the tariff and states rights, Bennett "denounced South Carolina's attempt to nullify a federal tariff. He called the nullification doctrine a rebellion based on "heresy. It was in union," he reminded his audience, "that we wrested our liberties from the grasp of oppression. The union is our whole strength, our sole support."
Internal improvements continued during this period. The federal government assisted in the building of much needed breakwaters at Lewes
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is an incorporated city in Sussex County, Delaware, USA, on the Delmarva Peninsula. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747, a decrease of 6.3% from 2000....
, the Frenchtown & New Castle Railroad replaced its wooden rails with steel so they could support a new steam engine, and construction began on the Philadelphia, Baltimore and Wilmington Railroad and the Delaware Railroad.
Death and legacy
Bennett died at Wilmington, while in office, and is buried there in the Friends Burial GroundFriends Meetinghouse (Wilmington, Delaware)
Friends Meetinghouse is a historic Quaker meeting house at 4th and West Streets in Wilmington, Delaware in the Quaker Hill neighborhood. The meeting is still active with a membership of about 400 and is part of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting...
, at Fourth and West Streets. He was the fifth Governor of Delaware to die in office.
U.S. Representative William G. Whiteley
William G. Whiteley
William Gustavus Whiteley was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U. S...
remembered Bennett near the end of his life as
"a tall spare old man wearing knee breeches. He lived in Wilmington in a house...and could be seen any summer afternoon sitting upon his front pavement engaged in what we boys did not think a very manly employment, knitting yarn stockings."Others noted,
"Notwithstanding his Jacksonian Democracy, and being a Quaker to boot, to the end of his life he wore ruffled shirts, white kid breeches, and a velvet coat with brass buttons. He also powdered his hair and wore a queue."
Almanac
Elections are held on the first Tuesday after November 1. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday in January, and has a four year term.{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Took Office
! Left Office
! notes
|-
|Governor
|Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
|Dover
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
|January 15, 1833
|July 11, 1836
|died in office
{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1832
|Governor
|
| |Caleb P. Bennett
| |Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
| |4,220
| |50%
|
| |Arnold Naudain
Arnold Naudain
Dr. Arnold Snow Naudain was an American physician and politician from Odessa, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, and a member of the Whig Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as U.S...
| |National Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
| |4,166
| |50%
Images
- Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery, Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover
External links
- Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
- Delaware’s Governors
- Find a Grave
- The Political Graveyard
Places with more information
- Delaware Historical SocietyDelaware Historical SocietyThe Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...
; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 - University of DelawareUniversity of DelawareThe university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965