Col. Allan McLane (1746-1829)
Colonel in the Continental Army, State Representative & U.S. Marshal for Delaware
His father emigrated from Scotland to Philadelphia. He served with distinction in the Continental Army, rising to the rank of Colonel, and gaining the confidence and friendship of George Washington. He is seen in his portrait wearing the insignia of the Society of the Cincinnati of which he was an original member. In 1792, he was appointed Collector of the Port of Wilmington and as a Federalist became first a Member and then Speaker of the Delaware House of Representatives. He was an ardent abolitionist. He was Privy Counsellor to the Governor of Delaware, Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and in 1789 was confirmed as the first U.S. Marshal for Delaware. In 1771, he married Rebecca, daughter of James Wells of Dover, Delaware, and they lived first in Smyrna and then Wilmington. They had several children but only three survived infancy.
