Delaware: Allan McLane

Born in Philadelphia, PA on August 8, 1746, Allan McLane was one of George Washington’s 

boldest soldiers, but most reluctant U.S. marshals. By the time the American Revolution began, 

McLane had moved to Delaware, where he had a trading business, and immediately enlisted as 

a lieutenant in Caesar Rodney's Delaware Regiment. McLane’s company numbered about one 

hundred men, and included some Oneida Indian scouts. So devoted was he to his troops, that 

McLane used much of his inherited fortune for their pay and equipment. 

McLane participated in Washington’s disastrous New York Campaign of 1776.109 During this 

military campaign and the Battle of Princeton in January 1777, McLane earned a promotion to 

captain and began a legendary career as a cavalryman and spy.110

McLane utilized different disguises to infiltrate British camps and 

gather vital information that contributed to the success of 

American forces at the battles of Monmouth Courthouse (June 28, 

1778) and Stoney Point (July 16, 1779).111 On another occasion, a 

wounded McLane personally killed two British soldiers and 

escaped capture, despite being abandoned by his three 

companions. Collectively, McLane’s courage and daring 

personality helped him earn the rank of colonel by the end of the 

war in 1783.112 

 

109 He was also one of the first offices to question Benedict Arnold’s loyalty.

110 “History - The First Generation of United States Marshals/The First Marshal of Delaware: Allan McLane,” U.S. 

marshals Service, last estimated release October 22, 2019, 

https://www.usmarshals.gov/history/firstmarshals/mclane.htm. (Accessed October 22, 2019).

111 Tom Welch, “Allen McLane, Intelligence Officer and Spy,” Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, 

last estimated release October 22, 2019, https://history.delaware.gov/2015/06/11/allen-mclane-intelligenceofficer-and-spy/. (Accessed October 22, 2019). 

112 “History - The First Generation of United States Marshals/The First Marshal of Delaware: Allan McLane.” 

Portrait of Allan McLane.

Courtesy of the State of Delaware Office of 

Historical and Cultural Affairs
After the war, McLane worked as a farmer and in different 

administrative posts within his local and state governments, including 

as a member of Delaware’s State Convention to ratify to the new U.S. 

Constitution in the winter of 1787. Because he was a Federalist from 

Delaware and had proven himself as a soldier in the American 

Revolution, President Washington appointed McLane as the U.S. 

marshal for Delaware.113 

Despite actively voicing his displeasure at not receiving a more 

lucrative government appointment, McLane served as a U.S. marshal

for eight years.114 During his tenure as a marshal, McLane was paid 

$100 to oversee the 1790 enumeration of Delaware’s population.115 

Because, Delaware’s 1790 census schedules were destroyed during 

the War of 1812, it is difficult to determine the actual process McLane 

and his deputies used to count the population. However, they did complete the enumeration 

on May 4, 1791.116 In 1790, Delaware was the smallest state in the country with a population 

of 59,094 people.117 However, a later recalculation found a small mathematical error and 

tabulated the actual number as 59,096.118 

Having fulfilled one of his main duties as a marshal, McLane continued to beg President 

Washington for a different appointment within the government. In 1797, Washington 

recommended McLane as the Collector of Customs for the Port of Wilmington. He held this 

position through various Presidential administrations until his death in Wilmington on May 22, 

1829.119 His son, Lewis, was just as well respected, and served as the Secretary of the Treasury 

and the Secretary of State under President Andrew Jackson.

 

113 Ibid.

114 Ibid.

115 Gazette of the United-States. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]), 10 March 1790. 

116 “Delaware”. Return of the whole number of persons within the several districts of the United States: according 

to "An act providing for the enumeration of the inhabitants of the United States," passed March the first, one 

thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, pg. 46. PDF. Retrieved from 

https://www.census.gov/content/census/en/library/publications/1793/dec/number-of-persons.htm. (Accessed 

October 22, 2019).

117 Ibid.

118 "Population of the United States as retuned at the First Census, by states: 1790," in Heads of Families/1790/A 

Century of Population Growth New York & Pennsylvania, 3:8. 

119 “History - The First Generation of United States Marshals/The First Marshal of Delaware: Allan McLane.”

Map of Delaware shows the three 

counties that McLane and/or his 

deputies enumerated. 

Courtesy of the Library of Congress