Deane, Silas (1737-1789), was an early American diplomat. He helped gain vital French aid for the American Colonies during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
In 1776, the Continental Congress sent Deane to France to purchase military supplies, arrange trade agreements, and hire soldiers. Congress ordered him to return in 1777 to face charges of disloyalty and financial misconduct. Arthur Lee, one of Deane’s fellow diplomats, had accused him of trying to make a profit for himself by charging the U.S. government for supplies that the French had intended as gifts. The charges were never proved. Deane became bitter over what he saw as his country’s ingratitude. He returned to France in 1780 and lived in Europe as an exile until his death aboard a ship off southeastern England on Sept. 23, 1789. In 1842, the United States Congress cleared Deane of the charges against him.
Deane was born on Dec. 24, 1737, in Groton, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale College in 1758 and began practicing law in 1761. He represented Connecticut in the first and second Continental Congresses.
