Louis McLane: Federalist and Jacksonian

by John A. Munroe

In the years that followed the establishment of the United States as a constitutional democracy, many men played dramatic roles in shaping the new nation, formulating its institutions, and contributing to its prodigious growth, Many of them have been the subjects of major biographies, and in this fully realized life study Louis McLane of Delaware (1784-1857) becomes as well known as his peers.

McLane started young. By his early thirties he had won a seat in the House of Representatives, and he served there until 1827, when he went on to the Senate. In 1829 he left the Senate to become minister to Great Britain; by 1834 he had served in Andrew Jackson's cabinet both as Secretary of the Treasury and as Secretary of State. Under James K. Polk he served again as minister to Great Britain. McLane left public service in 1837 to become president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, at that time the nation's leading railroad. Under his energetic hand the line thrust westward to an Ohio River terminus, eventually achieved, after McLane's presidency, at Wheeling, West Virginia.

The length and richness of his career with its varied dimensions may account for the fact that the present volume is the first full-scale biography of an extraordinary man living a full life in the young and lively years of the Republic. Professor Munroe, who has been engaged in its research and writing for almost two decades, uses many new documentary sources for his detailed and rich biography, which presents its subject as statesman, industrialist, public servant, and private citizen. This authoritative book spans over fifty years of political and social history. It offers a fresh background in Jacksonian politics, much detail about Jackson himself, and new insights into the role of Martin Van Buren. Also of notable interest are the accounts of the rise and decline of the early political parties and the war over the Second Bank of the United States.

763 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

An expert on the history of Delaware, John Andrew Munroe educated at the University of Delaware, where he received a BA, and at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a PhD. In 1942 he accepted a position as an instructor in the Department of History at the University of Delaware, where he taught until his retirement as the H. Rodney Sharp Professor of History in 1982.

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story of Louis McLane, son of Revolutionary War hero Allen McLane who was
in fact both a Federalist and Jacksonian. The first due to his family and upbringing, the second was
a matter of necessity.

Allen McLane was a Federalist and his kids were raised in that political faith. Louis was born in 1786
and when he was 30 was elected to the House of Representatives. The problem was that the Federalist party was slowly going out of business. 1816 was the last year the party ran a presidential
candidate. For the next 12 years it steadily lost ground.

McLane was fairly secure in Delaware, but he realized that he would have to make a move. In 1826
he was elected to the Senate from Delaware as a Jacksonian Democrat. Author Munroe leaves no
doubt it was a calculated move to back the Andrew Jackson candidacy for president and when Jackson
was elected McLane became Minister to Great Britain.

The Jackson cabinet reshuffle after the Peggy O'Neal Eaton scandal brought McLane home as Martin Van Buren resigned as Secretary of State and took McLane's post in London. McLane
became Secretary of the Treasury.

Unfortunately it was when Jackson was looking to break the National Bank and with old Federalist
McLane the bank and the protective tariff were articles of faith. When he demurred at removing
government deposits, McLane was moved to become Secretary of State.

There he clashed with Van Buren who was now Vice President who interfered with foreign policy.
After a disagreement over the handling of damage claims from France dating from the Napoleonic
War, McLane resigned as Secretary of State.

For the next decade or so McLane concentrated on private business with two enterprises. The first
was the Morris canal in New Jersey as he became president of that corporation. The second was the
Baltimore&Ohio railroad which he oversaw the building of. He made some good money in these
ventures.

McLane's last government post was a return to Great Britain as minister where he helped with the
negotiation of the Oregon boundary claim. He served from 1845 to 1846 and then came home. He
returned to the B&O corporation but later left and died in 1857.

McLane was a man who was out of his time. He made the right political calculation as the
Federalist party was having the life support pulled from it and became an Andrew Jackson Democrat. But he was never quite comfortable with his new mates. He might just be best known
as the last Federalist.