Thomas McKean
Born: March 19, 1734
Died: June 24, 1817
Colony/State: Delaware
Occupation / Public Role: Lawyer, legislator, judge, military officer, governor
Contribution to the Founding Era: Delegate to the Continental Congress, signer of the Declaration of Independence, president of Congress in 1781, chief justice of Pennsylvania, and later governor of Pennsylvania.
Thomas McKean was born in New London, Pennsylvania, and built his early career in Delaware, then often called the Lower Counties. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1755, and quickly moved into public life. The U.S. House records that he served in the Delaware House of Assembly from 1762 to 1775, served as speaker in 1772, and also held several legal and administrative offices, including justice of the peace and collector of the port of New Castle.
Before independence, McKean had already become one of the strongest Patriot voices in Delaware. He served in the Stamp Act Congress of 1765, where he argued for colonial rights, and later represented Delaware in both the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress. The National Constitution Center notes that he played a crucial role in Delaware’s move toward independence.
McKean is especially remembered for helping secure Delaware’s vote for independence in 1776. Delaware’s delegation was split, with George Read opposing independence and Thomas McKean supporting it. McKean urged Caesar Rodney, who was absent, to ride to Philadelphia so Delaware could cast its vote in favor of independence. Rodney’s arrival helped break the deadlock, and Delaware voted for independence.
His service during the Revolution went beyond Congress. Historical references note that McKean served as a colonel in a Pennsylvania militia regiment, and he remained active in public affairs while British forces threatened the region. He later returned to Congress and served as President of Congress from July 10 to November 4, 1781, during the same general period as the American victory at Yorktown.
McKean’s public career after independence was enormous. The U.S. House records that he served briefly as president of Delaware in 1777, became chief justice of Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1799, helped support the ratification of the Constitution in Pennsylvania, and later served as governor of Pennsylvania from 1799 to 1808. That is an absurd amount of public office for one man, even by founding-era standards, when people apparently treated sleep like a rumor.
Thomas McKean died in Philadelphia in 1817. He is not always one of the first names people mention among the signers, but he was one of the most consequential Delaware founders: lawyer, legislator, Continental delegate, war officer, congressional president, chief justice, and governor. That is not background scenery. That is one of the men helping hold multiple parts of the early Republic together at once.
Related Links
- Signers of the Declaration of Independence
- Declaration of Independence
- George Read
- Caesar Rodney
- John Witherspoon