This article includes a list ofgeneral references, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations. Please help toimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(November 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

J. Caleb Boggs
Official portrait, 1947
United States Senator fromDelaware
In office January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1973
Preceded by	J. Allen Frear Jr.
Succeeded by	Joe Biden
Chair of theNational Governors Association
In office June 25, 1959 – June 26, 1960
Preceded by	LeRoy Collins
Succeeded by	Stephen McNichols
62ndGovernor of Delaware
In office January 20, 1953 – December 30, 1960
Lieutenant	John W. Rollins David P. Buckson
Preceded by	Elbert N. Carvel
Succeeded by	David P. Buckson
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Delaware'sat-large district
In office January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1953
Preceded by	Philip A. Traynor
Succeeded by	Herbert B. Warburton
Associate Judge of theNew Castle County Family Court
In office November 9, 1942 – January 3, 1947
Preceded by	Billy Bickson
Succeeded by	Johnathan Taylor
Personal details
Born	James Caleb Boggs (1909-05-15)May 15, 1909 Cheswold, Delaware, U.S.
Died	March 26, 1993(1993-03-26) (aged 83) Newark, Delaware, U.S.
Resting place	Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Dover
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elizabeth Muir ​ ​ (m. 1931; died 1992)​
Children	2
Education	University of Delaware (BA) Georgetown University (LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1941–1946
Rank	Colonel
Unit	6th Armored Division
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Campaign Stars (5) Legion of Merit Bronze Star Croix de Guerre

James Caleb Boggs (May 15, 1909 – March 26, 1993) was an American lawyer and politician fromClaymont, Delaware. ARepublican, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened to Cale.^[1]

He was a veteran ofWorld War II, and a member of theRepublican Party, who served three terms asU.S. Representative from Delaware, two terms asGovernor of Delaware, and two terms asU.S. Senator from Delaware. He lostre-election in 1972 to futurePresident of the United StatesJoe Biden.

Boggs was born on May 15, 1909, atCheswold, Delaware,^[2] the son of Edgar Jefferson and Lettie Vaughn Boggs. Boggs joined the Delaware National Guard in 1926 and became a reserve officer that year.^[2]

In 1931, he married Elizabeth Muir; the couple had two children, and were members of the Methodist Church.^[3]

He graduated from theUniversity of Delaware in 1931 with an A.B. degree^[4] and later graduated fromGeorgetown Law School in 1937^[2] with an LLB degree.^[2]

In 1938, he was admitted to theDelaware State Bar Association and began practicing law inDover, Delaware.^[2]

During World War II, he served in theU.S. Army with the6th Armored Division, fighting in Normandy, theRhineland, theArdennes, and central Europe. He earned fiveCampaign Stars, theLegion of Merit, theBronze Star Medal withOak Leaf Cluster, and theCroix de Guerre with palm from France.^[3]

Boggs was appointed Associate Judge of the Family Court of New Castle County in 1946. He was elected to theU.S. House of Representatives in 1946, defeating incumbentDemocratic U.S. RepresentativePhilip A. Traynor. He was re-elected twice to the seat, defeating J. Carl McGuigan in 1948 and Henry M. Winchester in 1950. Boggs served in the U.S. House from January 3, 1947, to January 3, 1953.

Boggs was elected Governor of Delaware in1952, defeating incumbent Democratic GovernorElbert N. Carvel by 7,205 votes. He won a second term in1956, defeating Democrat James Hoge Tyler McConnell by 6,918 votes. He served as governor from January 20, 1953, to December 30, 1960, when he resigned because of his upcoming U.S. Senate term. As governor, Boggs restructured governmental agencies and endorsed the merging of school districts and increasing teachers’ salaries. A prominent issue of his tenure was school desegregation; he was a proponent of the municipal home rule.[1] On April 2, 1958, he signed the bill that endedcapital punishment in Delaware.^[5]

Boggs was elected to the U.S. Senate in1960, narrowly defeating incumbent Democratic U.S. SenatorJ. Allen Frear Jr. by 2,784 votes, and becoming the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator that year. He won re-election in1966, defeating DemocratJames M. Tunnell Jr. by 30,005 votes — his widest margin of victory in any of his elections. He served from January 3, 1961, to January 3, 1973. Boggs voted in favor of theCivil Rights Acts of 1964 and1968,^[6][7] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution,^[8] theVoting Rights Act of 1965,^[9] and the confirmation ofThurgood Marshall to theU.S. Supreme Court.^[10]

Boggs lost his bid for a third term in1972 to the future 47thVice President and 46thPresident,DemocratJoe Biden, then aNew Castle County councilman. Boggs was a reluctant candidate that year, being persuaded to run only to help avoid a divisive primary election.^[11] Biden waged an energetic campaign, questioning Boggs's age and ability, and went on to defeat Boggs by 3,162 votes.^[12] In his last years, Boggs lived inWilmington, Delaware, where he continued to practice law until retiring in the early 1980s.^[3]

Boggs' health declined in his final years due to diabetes and cancer. His wife, Elizabeth, died on April 1, 1992, and he died just under a year later, on March 26, 1993, atChristiana Hospital inNewark, Delaware.^[3] He is buried in the Old Presbyterian Cemetery in Dover, on the grounds of theDelaware State Museum.

The J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building at 844 King Street inWilmington, Delaware is named for him.

• Davis, Ned (2000).Charles L. Terry. Wilmington, Delaware: Delaware Heritage Press.LCCN 00133337.OCLC 47186751.
• Hoffecker, Carol E. (2000).Honest John Williams. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press.
• Hoffecker, Carol E. (2004).Democracy in Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware: Cedar Tree Books.ISBN 1-892142-23-6.
• Martin, Roger A. (1984).History of Delaware Through its Governors. Wilmington, Delaware: McClafferty Press.
• Martin, Roger (1997).Elbert N. Carvel. Wilmington, Delaware: Delaware Heritage Press.ISBN 0-924117-08-7.
• Munroe, John A. (1993).History of Delaware. Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Press.ISBN 0-87413-493-5.

• Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery;Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.

• Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
• Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Delaware's Governors
• Find a Grave
• The Political Graveyard

• 1909 births
• 1993 deaths
• 20th-century American lawyers
• United States Army personnel of World War II
• American United Methodists
• Burials in Dover, Delaware
• Delaware lawyers
• Georgetown University Law Center alumni
• Republican Party governors of Delaware
• Military personnel from Delaware
• People from Claymont, Delaware
• People from Kent County, Delaware
• Recipients of the Legion of Merit
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware
• Republican Party United States senators from Delaware
• University of Delaware alumni
• United States Army colonels
• 20th-century Methodists
• Delaware National Guard personnel
• Deaths from diabetes in the United States
• Deaths from cancer in Delaware
• Methodists from Delaware
• Lawyers from Wilmington, Delaware
• 20th-century United States senators
• 20th-century United States representatives

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles lacking in-text citations from November 2010
• All articles lacking in-text citations