- Willard Saulsbury, Sr.
Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Willard Saulsbury,
honorific-suffix = Sr.
imagesize =
small
office = Chancellor of Delaware
term_start =November 14 1873
term_end =April 6 1892
predecessor = Daniel M. Bates
successor = James L. Wolcott
office2 = U. S. Senator from Delaware
term_start2 =March 4 1859
term_end2 =March 3 1871
predecessor2 =Martin W. Bates
successor2 =Eli M. Saulsbury
birth_date = birth date|1820|6|2|mf=y
birth_place = Kent CountyDelaware
death_date = death date and age|1892|4|6|1820|6|2
death_place = DoverDelaware
spouse =
party = Democratic
residence = GeorgetownDelaware
alma_mater = Delaware College
occupation =
profession =lawyer
religion = EpiscopalianWillard Saulsbury, Sr. (
June 2 1820 –April 6 1892 ) was alawyer andpolitician from Georgetown, in Sussex County,Delaware . He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Senator from Delaware and Chancellor of Delaware.Early life and family
Saulsbury was born
June 2 1820 in Mispillion Hundred, Kent CountyDelaware , son of William & Margaret Ann Smith Saulsbury. He was a younger brother of GovernorGove Saulsbury and U.S. SenatorEli M. Saulsbury . He married Annie Ponder, sister of GovernorJames Ponder , and they had three children, John Ponder, Margaret, and Willard Jr.. They were members of the Episcopal Church. Saulsbury was educated atDickinson College and Delaware College, which is now theUniversity of Delaware , studied law, was admitted to theDelaware Bar, and began his practice in GeorgetownDelaware .Political career
Saulsbury was the
Attorney General of Delaware from 1850 until 1855, and was elected to theUnited States Senate in 1858, defeating incumbent U.S. SenatorMartin W. Bates . Saulsbury was reelected in 1864, but was defeated for a third term in 1870 by his older brother,Eli M. Saulsbury . He served two full terms fromMarch 4 1859 , toMarch 4 1871 . He then continued his law practice and served as Chancellor of Delaware from 1873 until his death in 1892.Controversy
In 1863, Saulsbury was a vehement critic of President
Abraham Lincoln 's administration. Opposing the war in general and the suspension ofhabeas 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 whatJohn 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 PresidentHannibal 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.Death and legacy
Saulsbury died
April 6 1892 in DoverDelaware , and is buried in the Christ Episcopal Churchyard in Dover. His son,Willard Saulsbury, Jr. was also a U.S. Senator.Public offices
The General Assembly chose the U.S. Senators, who took office the first week of March, and served for a six year term.
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