McKean, << muh KEEN, >> Thomas (1734-1817), an American statesman, was a Delaware signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was a Delaware delegate to the Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation almost continuously from 1774 to 1783. McKean also served as chief justice of Pennsylvania from 1777 to 1799. He was governor of that state from 1799 to 1808.
McKean was born on March 19, 1734, in New London, Pennsylvania. He studied law and, in 1776, wrote most of the Delaware state Constitution. He died on June 24, 1817.
