Thomas McKean

Thomas McKean was born in 1734 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, studied law, and represented Delaware in the Continental Congress. On 2 July 1776 he voted for independence and sent for Caesar Rodney so that Delaware's delegation would not be tied. He was often away from Philadelphia after that summer, and his name was not on the first published list of signers; most historians conclude that he added his signature later than the 2 August signing, perhaps much later. McKean later served as president of Congress and, for a generation, as chief justice of Pennsylvania, then as that state's governor. He could be a fierce partisan, and his long hold on office drew criticism as well as praise. He died in Philadelphia in 1817, one of the last surviving signers. His career shows how a single generation might help found a nation and then spend decades arguing over how it should be governed.

See also: Signers of the Declaration · Caesar Rodney · George Read