Richard S. Cordrey, or “the gentleman from Sussex County,” as he was sometimes called in his days as a state senator, died Saturday.
The state’s longest-serving president pro tempore was 88.
A Democrat farmer from Millsboro, Cordrey served in the Delaware Legislature from 1972 to 1996 and was well-liked and respected among his colleagues, regardless of party. Cordrey joined the Legislature as Delaware Democrats were coming into power after many years of a Republican majority, according to his obituary. His willingness to compromise and work across the aisle became the greatest legacy of his 26-year tenure.
“He came from a generation like I do where elected officials are expected to get along, try to find common ground, and work together to get things done,” U.S. Sen. Tom Carper said in a statement.
“Cordrey was special,” then-state Sen. Robert Voshell, D-Milford, said in 1996. “He had the respect of everyone throughout the state.”
Cordrey’s most-lauded accomplishments during his time in the General Assembly were in the realm of finance.
He sponsored the legislation that created the Rainy Day Fund, requiring the state to put aside 5% of its projected revenue annually to serve as protection from unexpected financial blows. He was also a major player in the Financial Center Redevelopment Act, which brought big banks to Delaware, as well as jobs and money.
“His leadership, commonsense and persistence helped Delaware transform from a state with the worst credit rating in the country – unable to balance our budget and a very poor track record in attracting new business – to a AAA credit rating, and a great place to live and work,” Carper said.
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Gov. John Carney concurred.
“His influence on Delaware’s economy – especially his efforts on financial stability – will have a lasting impact on our state,” he said.
Cordrey’s retirement in 1996 meant “the loss of (Sussex countians’) most influential voice in a Legislature dominated by up-staters,” News Journal reporter Nancy Kesler wrote at the time.
Among the fans of Cordrey’s financial work was the late Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. Cordrey came out of retirement for four years in 2005 to serve as her secretary of finance.
A Millsboro farm boy
Cordrey grew up in agriculture. His father, John A. Cordrey, owned and operated a large feed store in downtown Millsboro, but died when his son was just 16.
“He had to grow up really fast,” said Cordrey’s son, Richard J. “Rick” Cordrey.
After high school, he went to Goldey-Beacom College, where he met his wife, the late Mary Jane Bowen Cordrey. They married in 1953, and when Cordrey joined the Army, she followed him to Fort Gordon in Georgia.
When they moved back to Millsboro, Cordrey started his business, RSC Farms. The couple had two sons, Rick and Stephen, and the family raised chickens and grew corn and soybeans.
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The farmer’s entry into Delaware politics started with Millsboro community groups. He was active at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and in the Millsboro Lions Club, and Rick Cordrey said it was winning the position of Lions Club District governor that set his father on the road to the Legislature.
He started by serving on the Millsboro Town Council from 1965 to 1973, during which time he was instrumental in the creation of Cupola Park.
Rick Cordrey helped his father campaign as a teen. One election night, a call came in reporting he had lost by 60 votes.
“I put my head down, you know. I had worked with him for a year on the campaign,” Rick Cordrey said. “He said, ‘Son, hold your head up. We knew we could lose, and we did the best we could do.’ It was a real good life lesson.”
A short while later, the call came that there had been a mix-up. Cordrey had actually won.
His son said a stroke led to a decline in Cordrey’s health, followed by the death of his beloved wife in 2016. A few weeks ago, his grandchildren went to visit him.
“After they left, it almost felt like he had some peace. He was on hospice within four or five days. He went fast,” Rick Cordrey said.
A viewing is set for 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, at Watson Funeral Home in Millsboro, followed by a service. Cordrey will be interred at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, after which the church will host a luncheon.
Carney has ordered flags at state buildings and facilities be flown at half-staff until sunset on Saturday.
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