Diplomatist; born in
Smyrna, Del., May 28, 1786; son of
Allan McLane; entered the navy at thirteen years of age, and served as a midshipman under
Decatur in the
Philadelphia, but afterwards studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1808.
When
Baltimore was threatened, in 1814, he was a member of a volunteer corps that marched to its defence.
For ten successive years (1817-27) he represented
Delaware in Congress, and was
United States Senator in 1827-29.
In May, 1829,
President Jackson appointed him American minister to
Great Britain, which post he held two years, when he was called to
Jackson's cabinet as
Secretary of the Treasury.
In his instructions to
Minister McLane, the
President said, “Ask nothing but what is right, and submit to nothing that is wrong.”
In 1833, in consequence of his declining to remove the government deposits from the
United States Bank, he was transferred to the post of
Secretary of State, which he held until 1834, when he resigned.
In 1837-47 he was president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Pending the settlement of the
Oregon boundary ques tion, he was again minister to
Great Britain, appointed by
President Polk in June, 1845.
His last public acts were as a member of the convention at
Annapolis to reform the constitution of
Maryland.
He died in
Baltimore, Md., Oct. 7, 1857.
