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Home CCSU Theses & Dissertations I shall offer no apology: a look at the character of Silas Deane

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Identifier	Thesis 2177
Author	Sylvester, Sylvia M., 1961-
Title	I shall offer no apology: a look at the character of Silas Deane
Publisher	Central Connecticut State University
Date	2011;
Resource Type	Master's Thesis
Notes	Silas Deane was a patriot of questionable integrity during the Revolutionary War. He lived from 1737 to 1789. He rose from humble beginnings in Connecticut to prominence within the Colonial Congress meeting in Philadelphia, rubbing elbows with the likes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Selected as a foreign agent to seek support from the French government, Deane was involved in questionable dealings overseas and was eventually recalled by Congress. Although no formal charges were ever made against him, much has been written regarding whether he had actually defrauded the government. His personal life, however, has been overlooked but shows clear indications of his being less than a forthright character. This paper will deal with this personal side. The eldest son of a blacksmith, he graduated from Yale and opened his legal office in Wethersfield, Connecticut in 1761. One of his first clients was a wealthy widow whose husband's estate he was hired to help settle. The two were married in November 1763 and their son was born in June 1764. The truth of this arrangement was never discussed until a petition was filed by the widow's children after Deane's death. The document reveal a man who was out for himself at the expense of his wife and her children. His first wife died four years later and her husband's estate had still not been settled. Remarrying just two years later, Deane selected another widow but one with political connections. This wife was very sickly but it did not stop him from serving at the colonial level in Hartford and eventually serving in Philadelphia at the Continental Congress. This required him to be gone from home for months at a time. Deane would accept the position of foreign agent even though it meant leaving his wife and son behind to go to France. In France for almost two years, his wife eventually died while he was there. Through his many correspondence the picture of a man arises who knows his decisions are questionable. Knowing this, however, only led him to justify his every move. Despite his protests of being misunderstood and his own belief of his innocence, Deane's own words show him to be an opportunist with little regard for those around him, even those who depend on him the most. This man could clearly make money off his own government but then justify it as his due reward.
Subject	Deane, Silas, 1737-1789
Department	Department of History
Advisor	Warshauer, Matthew, 1965-
Type	Text
Digital Format	application/pdf
Language	eng
OCLC number	804652993
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