Sharp Delany
Encyclopedia
Sharp Delany was a Colonel
in the American Revolutionary War
and was appointed first Collector of Customs
in Philadelphia by George Washington
.
, Ireland
, Sharp Delany was likely been born in Queen’s County, Ireland
(present day County Laois
). Ballyfin
, Queen’s County, was the home of his paternal grandfather, Martin Delany, and his father, Daniel Delany, who also resided in Clonin, Queen’s County. Also, Sharp Delany’s maternal grandfather, Isaac Sharp
, resided in Killinure, Queen’s County. Sharp Delany’s maternal great-grandfather was the noted Dublin Quaker Anthony Sharp
, for whom Sharp was named.
Sharp Delany’s date of immigration to the United States
is uncertain. Among the first records of him in America is his September 7, 1763 marriage to Margaret Robinson in the Trinity Episcopal Church of Philadelphia. By about 1764, he had established himself as a druggist in Philadelphia in partnership with his brother, William. In 1775-6, he was an active member of committees in favor of American independence and later subscribed five thousand pounds to supply the army.
He was a deputy to the Provincial Convention in January, 1775, and to the Provincial Conference in June of the same year. In June, 1776, he raised a company of militia
, of which he was Captain, and in 1779 was Colonel of the 2d Pennsylvania
Battalion
. Colonel Sharp Delany was a personal friend of George Washington
and a constant associate of General Anthony Wayne
, who made Colonel Delany one of the executors of his will. After the revolution he was a member of the legislature
of Pennsylvania
, and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
.
On March 15, 1784, Sharp Delany was appointed Collector of Customs
under the State of Pennsylvania
, and was the first to be appointed to that position at the Federal level by George Washington
in 1789, a position he held until his death in 1799.
In October 1789, Secretary of the Treasury
Alexander Hamilton
asked the various collectors of customs about the need for boats to protect and ensure revenue collection. Sharp Delany replied that he was already using a vessel for that purpose and fully endorsed the concept. In April 1790, Hamilton
asked Congress
to create a Revenue Marine
service with a fleet of ten small cutters. On 4 August 1790, now celebrated as the Coast Guard’s
birthday, Congress passed Hamilton’s Revenue Cutter Bill. Sharp Delany oversaw the construction of one of these first ten cutters, the USRC General Green
. Since Sharp Delany was evidently the first United States
official to employ a vessel for the purpose of enforcing customs laws, a 1976 Naval Institute Proceedings article suggested he is the father of the Coast Guard
.
Colonel Sharp Delany was a cousin of Marine Commandant
Anthony Gale
and was likely the person who recommended Gale for his commission as a Second Lieutenant
, which he received only fifteen days after Congress
reestablished the Marines
on July 11, 1798. Following Sharp Delany’s death, his son, Thomas R. Delany, witnessed Commandant Gale’s naturalization papers in 1801.
Many of the writings of Sharp Delany survived, including his Revolutionary War orderly book, U.S. Customs letter book, and correspondence with George Washington
, Thomas Jefferson
, Alexander Hamilton
, and General Anthony Wayne
, which offer insight into the American Revolution
and the birth of the United States
.
Sharp Delany died on May 13, 1799 and is buried in St. Peter's Episcopal Church Yard
in Philadelphia along with his wife, Margaret, and several of their children.
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and was appointed first Collector of Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
in Philadelphia by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
Biography
Sharp Delany’s place of birth is in dispute. Often stated to be born in County MonaghanCounty Monaghan
County Monaghan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Monaghan. Monaghan County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Sharp Delany was likely been born in Queen’s County, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(present day County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
). Ballyfin
Ballyfin
Ballyfin is a small village and parish in County Laois, Ireland. Located in the Slieve Bloom Mountains, the village is in the midlands of Ireland. It is located on the R423 regional road mid way between the towns of Mountrath and Mountmellick....
, Queen’s County, was the home of his paternal grandfather, Martin Delany, and his father, Daniel Delany, who also resided in Clonin, Queen’s County. Also, Sharp Delany’s maternal grandfather, Isaac Sharp
Isaac Sharp
Isaac Sharp was an early New Jersey settler, politician, judge and Colonel of the militia.-Early life and family:Born January 13, 1681, in Dublin, Ireland, Isaac Sharp was the eldest surviving son of Quaker Anthony Sharp and Ann Crabb...
, resided in Killinure, Queen’s County. Sharp Delany’s maternal great-grandfather was the noted Dublin Quaker Anthony Sharp
Anthony Sharp (Quaker)
Anthony Sharp was a Dublin Quaker and wool merchant.-Early life:Anthony Sharp, the son of Thomas Sharp, was born in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, England in January 1643.-Religion and business:...
, for whom Sharp was named.
Sharp Delany’s date of immigration to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is uncertain. Among the first records of him in America is his September 7, 1763 marriage to Margaret Robinson in the Trinity Episcopal Church of Philadelphia. By about 1764, he had established himself as a druggist in Philadelphia in partnership with his brother, William. In 1775-6, he was an active member of committees in favor of American independence and later subscribed five thousand pounds to supply the army.
He was a deputy to the Provincial Convention in January, 1775, and to the Provincial Conference in June of the same year. In June, 1776, he raised a company of militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
, of which he was Captain, and in 1779 was Colonel of the 2d Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
. Colonel Sharp Delany was a personal friend of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and a constant associate of General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
, who made Colonel Delany one of the executors of his will. After the revolution he was a member of the legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati
Society of the Cincinnati
The Society of the Cincinnati is a historical organization with branches in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the American Revolutionary War officers and to pressure the government to honor pledges it had made to officers who fought for American...
.
On March 15, 1784, Sharp Delany was appointed Collector of Customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
under the State of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and was the first to be appointed to that position at the Federal level by George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
in 1789, a position he held until his death in 1799.
In October 1789, Secretary of the Treasury
United States Secretary of the Treasury
The Secretary of the Treasury of the United States is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, which is concerned with financial and monetary matters, and, until 2003, also with some issues of national security and defense. This position in the Federal Government of the United...
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
asked the various collectors of customs about the need for boats to protect and ensure revenue collection. Sharp Delany replied that he was already using a vessel for that purpose and fully endorsed the concept. In April 1790, Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
asked Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to create a Revenue Marine
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
service with a fleet of ten small cutters. On 4 August 1790, now celebrated as the Coast Guard’s
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
birthday, Congress passed Hamilton’s Revenue Cutter Bill. Sharp Delany oversaw the construction of one of these first ten cutters, the USRC General Green
USRC General Green
USRC General Green was one of the first ten cutters operated by the US Revenue Cutter Service. She was named for the Revolutionary War hero Major General Nathanael Greene and note that her name was misspelled, probably by the man who oversaw her construction, the Collector of Customs in...
. Since Sharp Delany was evidently the first United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
official to employ a vessel for the purpose of enforcing customs laws, a 1976 Naval Institute Proceedings article suggested he is the father of the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
.
Colonel Sharp Delany was a cousin of Marine Commandant
Commandant of the Marine Corps
The Commandant of the Marine Corps is normally the highest ranking officer in the United States Marine Corps and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
Anthony Gale
Anthony Gale
Anthony Gale was the fourth Commandant of the United States Marine Corps and the only one ever fired. Fewer records survive concerning him than any other Commandant. He is the only Commandant for whom the Marines neither know his burial location nor have a portrait or likeness.-Early life:His...
and was likely the person who recommended Gale for his commission as a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
, which he received only fifteen days after Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
reestablished the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
on July 11, 1798. Following Sharp Delany’s death, his son, Thomas R. Delany, witnessed Commandant Gale’s naturalization papers in 1801.
Many of the writings of Sharp Delany survived, including his Revolutionary War orderly book, U.S. Customs letter book, and correspondence with George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, and General Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne
Anthony Wayne was a United States Army general and statesman. Wayne adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his military exploits and fiery personality quickly earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general and the sobriquet of Mad Anthony.-Early...
, which offer insight into the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
and the birth of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Sharp Delany died on May 13, 1799 and is buried in St. Peter's Episcopal Church Yard
St. Peter's Church, Philadelphia
St. Peter's Church is a historic church located on the corner of Third and Pine Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It opened for worship on September 4, 1761 and served as a place of worship for many of the United States Founding Fathers during the period of the Continental Congresses. The...
in Philadelphia along with his wife, Margaret, and several of their children.
Ancestry
External links
- Portrait of Sharp Delany by artist Robert Field, Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
.