McLane, Louis

views updated

Louis McLane, 1786–1857, American statesman, b. Smyrna, Del. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1817–27) and in the Senate (1827–29), resigning to become minister to England (1829–31). He was Secretary of the Treasury (1831–33) in Andrew Jackson's cabinet, but when he refused Jackson's demand to transfer deposits from the Bank of the United States to state banks, he was made Secretary of State (1833–34). President of the Baltimore and Ohio RR (1837–47), he was again (1845–46) minister to England, where he conducted the negotiations to establish the Oregon boundary.

More From encyclopedia.com