McKean, Thomas, 1734-1817, political leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, b. New London, Pa. He settled at New Castle, Del., and became a lawyer and a political figure, one of the strong opponents of the British colonial system. He was (1765) a delegate to the Stamp Act Congress. McKean promoted concerted action by the colonies and was (1774-76, 1778-83) a member of the Continental Congress. Absent when the Declaration of Independence was signed, he affixed his signature later. McKean helped to frame the Delaware constitution, was president (governor) of Delaware for a short time (1777), and then was chief justice of Pennsylvania (1777-99), where he also had a home. He was (1781) briefly president of the Continental Congress and was a supporter of the Articles of Confederation, which he signed. He worked to obtain the ratification of the Constitution by Pennsylvania and was a member of Pennsylvania's state constitutional convention. A supporter of Thomas Jefferson, McKean was (1799-1808) governor of Pennsylvania. With James Wilson he wrote Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States (1792).

McKean is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 389 at the 2000 census. McKean was known as Middleboro until it officially changed its name in 1970.

Geography

McKean is located at (41.998941, -80.145475).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 389 people, 150 households, and 100 families residing in the borough. The population density was 673.6 people per square mile (259.0/km²). There were 161 housing units at an average density of 278.8/sq mi (107.2/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 99.49% White, 0.26% African American, and 0.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population.

There were 150 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the borough the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $39,063, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $31,875 versus $24,844 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $16,403. About 6.9% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

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