Silas Deane (January 4, 1738 [O.S. December 24, 1737] – September 23, 1789) is an American merchant, politician, and diplomat, and a supporter of American independence.

Deane serves as a delegate to the Continental Congress, then as the first foreign diplomat from the United States to France.

Near the end of the war, Congress charges Deane with financial impropriety, and the British intercept and publish some letters in which he had implied that the American cause was hopeless.

After the war, Deane lives in Ghent and London and dies under mysterious circumstances while attempting to return to America.