THOMAS M.KEAN. THE lives of most men pass away unobserved, unheeded and unknown, out of the particular family circle to which they are attached. They spring into existence, and sink into the grave, amid the general mass of perishable matter, without seeking to separate themselves from it, or to be distinguished, by a distinct course, from the cradle to the tomb. Those who emerge from this general obscurity, and become eminent for their talents and virtues, are characters peculiarly adapted for the delineation of the historical pencil, because their example may prove useful to others. Few of the splendid luminaries which have adorned the political firmament of the republic, possess stronger claims to this distinction than THOMAS M'KEAN. Living in turbulent and tempestuous times, beset with trials and difficulties, frequently assailed by the ambition, the envy, and the malice, of powerful individuals, and the flattery or hatred of different parties, he served in public stations of government for the long term of fifty years, during which, he uniformly retained his fortitude and integrity, and the well-merited confidence of his fellow citizens. THOMAS M'KEAN was born on the nineteenth of March, 1784, in the township of New London, county of Chester, VOL. IV.-A |