MILLSBORO, Del. — Gov. Matt Meyer signed legislation naming the Millsboro Bypass after longtime Delaware lawmaker Richard S. Cordrey, honoring the Millsboro native’s decades of public service and work on the state’s fiscal policies.
Meyer signed Senate Bill 349 near the bypass alongside several state leaders and members of the Cordrey family. The group also unveiled a new sign identifying the road as the Senator Richard S. Cordrey Bypass.
Gov. Matt Meyer signed legislation naming the Millsboro Bypass after longtime Delaware lawmaker Richard S. Cordrey, honoring the Millsboro native’s decades of public service and work on the state’s fiscal policies.
“Richard Cordrey never forgot where he came from or who he served,” Meyer said. “He brought the values he learned here in Millsboro, hard work, fiscal responsibility, and a willingness to work with anyone to get things done, to more than three decades of public service. Naming this bypass for Senator Cordrey is a fitting tribute to a leader whose impact can still be felt across Delaware and in the community he called home.”
Cordrey served in the Delaware General Assembly for 26 years. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 1970 before moving to the Senate in 1972.
He later served as Senate majority leader and spent 20 years as president pro tempore, making him the longest-serving president pro tempore in Delaware history, according to the governor’s office.
"Senator Richard Cordrey dedicated more than three decades of his life to serving Delaware, and his impact on our state can still be seen today," Pettyjohn said. "Renaming the Millsboro Bypass in his honor is especially fitting because improving U.S. 113 was one of the reasons Senator Cordrey first sought public office. This roadway is now part of the community he called home, and its name will serve as a lasting reminder of his service to Millsboro, Sussex County and the entire state of Delaware."
During his legislative career, Cordrey worked on fiscal and economic measures that included Delaware’s constitutional spending limit and Budget Reserve Account, commonly called the Rainy Day Fund. The changes were part of financial reforms enacted during Gov. Pierre S. du Pont IV’s administration.
Jones Giltner, a sponsor of Senate Bill 349, highlighted Cordrey’s role in those changes.
“It was great to be part of today’s celebration in renaming the bypass in honor of the late Senator Cordrey,” Jones Giltner said. “Among Senator Cordrey’s greatest achievements was his successful sponsorship of two constitutional amendments more than four decades ago that helped to steer Delaware towards sound financial governance. As part of the state government's financial management reforms driven by then-Governor Pete du Pont, the first constitutional amendment established a spending cap of 98% of anticipated General Fund revenues, with the second creating a budget reserve account, the ‘Rainy Day Fund,’ to be used for unexpected emergencies. Additionally, Senator Cordrey worked with former U.S. Senator John J. Williams in establishing Delaware as a national banking center.”
After leaving the General Assembly in 1996, Cordrey returned to state government in 2005 when Gov. Ruth Ann Minner appointed him secretary of finance. He served through 2009.
Cordrey was born and raised in Millsboro and remained involved in Delaware agriculture. He worked in his family’s feed business and owned and operated R.S.C. Farms for more than 50 years.
Delaware named the Department of Agriculture’s main administration building in his honor in 2012.
Senate Bill 349, sponsored by Pettyjohn, passed both chambers of the General Assembly unanimously, according to the governor’s office.
The Millsboro Bypass opened to traffic in September 2025 as an alternate route around downtown Millsboro. The road will now carry Cordrey’s name.
