An Out-Of-Pocket Revolutionary - Blair McClenachan
Blair McClenachan was one of the largest financial contributors to the American Revolution.
Blair McClenachan
Born in Ireland, Blair McClenachan was brought to British North America as a boy.
By the time the Revolutionary War broke out, Blair had already established himself as one of the wealthiest merchants in Philadelphia.
He chose to side with the Patriots and, while he rarely held any public office, his contribution to the Americans was immense.
Funding the Revolution
As soon as the war broke out, McClenachan had his own merchant ships outfitted as vessels of war.
They were sent to Europe by the Secret Committee and exchanged North American products for the supplies needed to keep the Continental Army running.
Furthermore, when the Continental Congress was attempting to finance the Revolution, Blair was second only to Robbert Morris when considering the amount of personal wealth dumped into the cause.
King McClenachan
After the war came to a close, and the Constitution written, McClenachan became one of the rare wealthiest city merchants to side with the Democratic-Republican Party.
In fact, Blar became the Chairman of his local Democratic Society.
These groups, which were essentially social clubs that supported a certain political party, were called out by none other than George Washington for their partisanship. (It seems to have been lost on Washington that, as the head of his own party, calling out the other side was in itself partisan.)
McClenachan responded by publishing in the papers a critique of Washington’s claims.
In a private letter, John Adams called his old friend Blair “King McClenachan” and viewed his paper as “a Manifesto against the President.”
Debt
In 1797, Blair was elected to serve in the United States House of Representatives.
After his term was over, McClenachan ran into the same trouble as many of his merchant contemporaries.
Heavy speculation into land led to a panic and his wealth vanished. He spent a brief time in debtor’s prison before regaining enough money to retire.
James Monroe has been featured in many articles I have written.
Here are a few of my favorites:
John Bubenheim Bayard and the Pennsylvania Board of War
Thomas Wharton Evacuates Pennsylvania’s Government
John Cadwalader Shoots ‘That Damned Rascal’ in the Mouth
While there are no biographies about Blair McClenachan, there are several about the man who overshadowed him.
I don’t get the chance to talk about Robert Morris as much as I would like, but he was imperative to the Founding and I highly recommend ‘Financier of the Revolution’.
If you’d like a copy you can pick one up through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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