Gove Saulsbury

Gove Saulsbury
41st Governor of Delaware
In office March 1, 1865 – January 17, 1871
Preceded by	William Cannon
Succeeded by	James Ponder
Member of the Delaware Senate
In office January 6, 1863 – March 1, 1865
Personal details
Born	(1815-05-29)May 29, 1815 Kent County, Delaware
Died	July 31, 1881(1881-07-31) (aged 66) Dover, Delaware
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rosina Jane Smith
Alma mater	Delaware College University of Pennsylvania
Profession	Physician
Signature

Gove Saulsbury (May 29, 1815 – July 31, 1881) was an American physician and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and he served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware. He led opposition to civil rights for African Americans in Delaware.

Early life and family

Saulsbury was born in Mispillion Hundred, Kent County, Delaware, son of William and Margaret Ann Smith Saulsbury. His father was a descendant of the Salusbury Family of Wales, but changed the spelling of the name after the American Revolution due to his family's loyalist sympathies. He was the older brother of U.S. Senators Willard Saulsbury, Sr., and Eli Saulsbury and the uncle of U.S. Senator Willard Saulsbury, Jr. Gove Saulsbury attended Delaware College in Newark and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1842. He married Rosina Jane Smith and had five children: Margaret, Olivia Smith, Rosa, Gove, and William. Saulsbury was a medical doctor and lived at the northwest corner of the Green in Dover. He and his family were members of the Methodist Church. Saulsbury's choice of religious denomination sparked some controversy within the family as both of his brothers were staunch Episcopalians. In 1861 he was President of the Delaware Medical Society.

Professional and political career

Saulsbury was elected to the Delaware State Senate and served in the 1863/64 and 1865/66 sessions. He was the Speaker in the 1865/66 session and succeeded to the office of Governor of Delaware on the death of Governor William Cannon on March 1, 1865. Defeating James Riddle of New Castle County, he was elected to a full term in his own right in 1866, and continued in office until January 17, 1871. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876.

With Saulsbury as governor, the Democratic Party took full control in Delaware. Strongly opposed to the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Saulsbury and the Democrats took every possible step to frustrate their implementation and deny the new rights given to African-Americans. This included the recommendation that African-Americans convicted of certain crimes be sold back into slavery. This fear-mongering was so successful that no Republicans were elected to the Delaware General Assembly in 1868, and hardly any were elected for many years thereafter.

When Saulsbury's term was over, he wanted to assume the U.S. Senate seat held by his brother, Willard Saulsbury. Willard had compromised himself with a well-known drinking problem, and many wanted him replaced. Unfortunately for Gove Saulsbury, the third brother, Eli Saulsbury also wanted the seat. After much balloting in the General Assembly, it became apparent to Willard that he could not win, so he switched his votes to Eli, who consequently won. Gove Saulsbury returned to his medical practice full-time.

Delaware General Assembly (sessions while Governor)
Year	Assembly		Senate Majority	Speaker		House Majority	Speaker
1865–1866	73rd		Democratic	William Hitch		Democratic	Shephard P. Houston
1867–1868	74th		Democratic	James Ponder		Democratic	William A. Polk
1869–1870	75th		Democratic	James Williams		Democratic	John Hickman

Death and legacy

Saulsbury died at Dover and is buried at Wesley Methodist Church Cemetery. He was President of the Delaware Medical Society in 1861, and in 1873 was one of the founders of Wesley College in Dover.

He was a strong and effective leader for a bitterly reactionary majority in Delaware, and his policies set the tone and the agenda for much political activity for a generation. According to Scharf, Saulsbury had "a deep sense of personal responsibility. He had a strong will and asserted his opinions earnestly and often, and as it seemed to those who differed with him, obstinately." Governor Robert J. Reynolds described him as "distinguished for his cunning. He was the slyest, cunningest man, and the most natural born politician Delaware ever produced." He was said to have "never apologized, compromised, or surrendered, unless it was in his interest."

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State senators have a four-year term. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.

Public Offices
Office	Type	Location	Began office	Ended office	notes
State Senator	Legislature	Dover	January 6, 1863	March 1, 1865
Governor	Executive	Dover	March 1, 1865	January 15, 1867	acting
Governor	Executive	Dover	January 15, 1867	January 17, 1871

Delaware General Assembly service
Dates	Assembly	Chamber	Majority	Governor	Committees	District
1863–1864	72nd	State Senate	Democratic	William Cannon		Kent at-large
1865–1866	73rd	State Senate	Democratic	William Cannon	Speaker	Kent at-large

Election results
Year	Office		Subject	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1866	Governor		Gove Saulsbury	Democratic	9,810	53%		James Riddle	Republican	8,598	47%

References

• Conrad, Henry C. (1908). History of the State of Delaware. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: Wickersham Company.
• Hancock, Harold B. (1961). Delaware During the Civil War. Wilmington, Delaware: Historical Society of Delaware.
• Hoffecker, Carol E. (2004). Democracy in Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware: Cedar Tree Books. ISBN 1-892142-23-6.
• Martin, Roger A. (1984). A History of Delaware Through its Governors. Wilmington, Delaware: McClafferty Press.
• Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of the Senate. Newark, Delaware: Roger A. Martin.
• Scharf, John Thomas (1888). History of Delaware 1609-1888. 2 vols. Philadelphia: L. J. Richards & Co. ISBN 0-87413-493-5.
• Wilson, Emerson (1969). Forgotten Heroes of Delaware. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Deltos Publishing Company.

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
• Gove Saulsbury at Find a Grave
• The Political Graveyard

Places with more information

• Delaware Historical Society; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
• University of Delaware; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965