Thomas McKean, Delaware

    McKean was first elected to the Delaware legislature in 1762 and was still there in 1776. He also served on the Stamp Act Congress and the First and Second Continental Congresses.
    McKean suggested in the Stamp Act Congress that each colony receive one vote. This precedent would continue through the Continental Congresses as well as the United States Senate.
    Very much a Patriot, McKean helped Delaware become the first colony to ignore the Stamp Act. He always favored independence and gained a large following. However, he was on a military assignment during the signing of the Declaration and did not sign his name until much later, probably 1781.
    In 1777 McKean became acting president of Delaware after the previous president, John McKinley was captured by the British. "I was hunted like a fox by the enemy," he wrote to John Adams, "and compelled to remove my family five times in a few months."
    He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1779 and was chosen as the first President of Congress. He also served as chief justice of Pennsylvania. From 1799 to 1808 he was governor of Pennsylvania. Finally he retired from public service. He died at age 83 on June 24, 1817.

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