He was the third son of Anthony Duane, a gentleman from Cong, in the county of Galway, Ireland, who, having when very young been a purser in the British Navy on the New York station, resigned his situation and returned to the city of New York, where he spent the rest of his life as a merchant, and where he died on the 14th August, 1747. The mother of James Duane was Altea Kettletas, his father's second wife, and daughter of Abraham Kettletas, one of the most considerable merchants,and long an Alderman, of the city of New York. She died when he was only three years old, and in May, 1741, his father married a third wife, the widow of Thomas Lynch, wwhioUe maiden

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name was Riker, of Flushing, L.I. This lady survived her husband until 1775, and seems to have so treated his children that they felt for her all the affection of a real mother® Anthony Duane held no office in this country, but must have had considerable influence as he procured appointments in the British Navy for two of his sons, one of whom (Richard) died at Kingston, Jamaica, in 1740,a midshipman, and another, named Abraham, died at sea in 1767, a post captain.

Where James Duane received his education, does not appear. He had a knowledge of Latin, which he might have received from the Rev. Mr. Charlton, one of the Executors to his father's will, who instructed some pupils in the classics. The profession of the law being selected as his future occupation , he entered the office of James Alexander, one of the most eminent counsel of our colonial bar and the father of the American General, Lord Stirling. He was admitted an attorney of the Supreme Court 3d August, 1754, and, as his law register and papers show, was soon entrusted with, a large professional business.