John Kean (1756 – May 4, 1795) was an American merchant, banker and member of Congress from South Carolina under the Articles of Confederation, who was the first in a long line of American politicians.
Kean was the deputy paymaster of the South Carolina Militia during the American Revolutionary War. He was taken prisoner during the war and was detained at sea for several months, becoming ill with a respiratory ailment. After being set free, Kean became a member of a commission that audited accounts of the Revolutionary Army. Kean also served as a delegate for South Carolina in the Congress of the Confederation from 1785 to 1787. When George Washington became president of the United States, he appointed Kean cashier of the Bank of the United States. Kean served in that capacity until his death.
Two of Kean's descendants have served in the U.S. Senate, one has served as governor of New Jersey, and three have served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Early life
Kean was born in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1756.
Career
Kean apprenticed with his stepfather's business partner, Peter Lavien, Kean advocated ratification of the United States Constitution at South Carolina's ratifying convention. Kean compiled "actual enumerations" of the population of the 13 states for consideration at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a precursor to the U.S. Census.
After General Washington became the first President of the United States, he appointed Kean cashier of the Bank of the United States in Philadelphia. Kean held this position for the rest of his life. Susan was the daughter of Peter Van Brugh Livingston, the New York State Treasurer, and Mary (née Alexander) Livingston. She was also the granddaughter of Philip Livingston, the 2nd Lord of Livingston Manor, and the niece of New Jersey's governor William Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Together, they were the parents of one child:
- Peter Philip James Kean (1788–1828), who married Sarah Sabina Morris (1788–1878), a granddaughter of Lewis Morris.
Kean died at age 39 on May 4, 1795, in Philadelphia from the respiratory disease he developed during the Revolution. He was interred in St. John's Churchyard in Philadelphia. which showcases the contributions of the Livingston and Kean families. In 1800, his widow remarried to Count Julian Niemcewicz, a Polish nobleman who fled Poland after fighting unsuccessfully for Polish independence from Russia but returned in the wake of Napoleon's successful campaigns.
Descendants
Through his grandson, Col. John Kean, Kean was posthumously a great-grandfather of John Kean and Hamilton Fish Kean, who both served as U.S. Senators for New Jersey. His great-great-grandson was US Representative Robert Winthrop Kean, his great-great-great-grandson is New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, and his great-great-great-great-grandson is US Representative Thomas Kean Jr.