born Dec. 24, 1737, Groton, Conn.
died Sept. 23, 1789, at sea near Deal, Kent, Eng.
U.S. diplomat.
He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress , which in 1776 secretly sent him to France to obtain financial and military assistance. The shiploads of arms he secured contributed to the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga . In 1777 he, Benjamin Franklin , and Arthur Lee negotiated treaties of commerce and alliance with France. Lee later insinuated that Deane had embezzled money; though the allegations were never proved, they ruined Deane's reputation.