Joseph Lane

Infobox Politician
name = Joseph Lane

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imagesize = 150px
caption =
small_

office = Governor of Oregon Territory
term_start = 1848
term_end = 1850
predecessor = position created
successor = Kintzing Prichette
constituency =
majority =
office2 = Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives
from Oregon Territory's At-large congressional district
term_start2 = 1851
term_end2 = 1859
predecessor2 = Samuel Thurston
successor2 = position dissolved
constituency =
majority2 =
jr/sr3=United States Senator
state3=Oregon
term_start3 = 1859
term_end3 = 1861
predecessor3 = position created
successor3 = James W. Nesmith
constituency3 =
majority3 =
birth_date = birth date|1801|12|14|mf=y
birth_place = Buncombe County, North Carolina
death_date = death date and age|1881|4|19|1801|12|14|mf=y
death_place = Roseburg, Oregon
party = Democrat
relations =
spouse = Polly Hart
civil partner =
children =
residence =
occupation = general, politician
religion =


website =
footnotes =

Joseph Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon.

Early life

Lane was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina on December 14, 1801. He moved to Kentucky at a young age, and then moved to Indiana, where he was engaged in farming for a while. Lane and his wife, Polly Hart Lane, had ten children.cite book|last=Corning|first=Howard M|title=Dictionary of Oregon History|publisher=Binfords & Mort Publishing|date=1956|page=p. 142] While in Indiana, he served in the State House of Representatives and the Indiana Senate from 1822 to 1846.

Military career

At the outbreak of hostilities with Mexico, Lane was appointed colonel of the 2nd Indiana Volunteer Regiment and served along the border. The same year he was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and commanded the Indiana Brigade at the Battle of Buena Vista. After the battle he was appointed major general of volunteers and led the relief force which lifted the Siege of Puebla defeating Antonio López de Santa Anna at the Battle of Huamantla along the way.

Oregon territory and statehood

He was appointed by President James Polk to be governor of Oregon Territory in 1848. Lane arrived in Oregon in March 1849, following a hazardous winter trip on the Oregon Trail. One of his first duties was to obtain the surrender of five Cayuse accused in the Whitman Massacre. The accused were brought back to Oregon City for trial, where they were convicted and hanged.cite web|url=http://bluebook.state.or.us/notable/notlane.htm|title=Notable Oregonians: Joseph Lane - Governor|publisher=Oregon.gov|accessdate=2007-04-05]

In 1851, Lane became delegate to Oregon Territory in the U.S. Congress, and was subsequently elected as one of Oregon's first two United States Senators when Oregon became a state in 1859. In 1853, Lane agreed to become acting Territorial Governor for three days (May 16-19) to help remove unpopular John P. Gaines from office. Lane then returned to his post as Congressional delegate.cite web|url=http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/lib/governors/jl.htm|title=Joseph Lane|publisher=Oregon State Library|accessdate=2007-04-05]

Vice-presidential nomination

Lane was nominated as the nominee for Vice President of the pro-slavery southern wing of the Democratic Party in 1860 along with Presidential candidate John C. Breckinridge. When the Civil War began, Lane's pro-slavery sympathies effectively ended his political career.

Retirement and legacy

Lane retired to Roseburg, Oregon where he died in 1881. He had been baptized Catholic in 1867.Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. "Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier". Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 266.] His home there is now a museum maintained by the Douglas County Historical Society. [ [http://www.douglascountyhistoricalsociety.org/LANEHOUSE.htm Floed Lane House ] ] Known as the Creed Floed House, the Floed-Lane House, or simply the Joseph Lane House, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.citeweb|title=Oregon National Register List|url=http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/NATREG/docs/oregon_nr_list.pdf |accessdate=2007-08-31]

Lane County, Oregon is named for him. A son, Lafayette Lane, served in Congress from 1875 to 1877, and another son John fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy. Joseph's grandson, Harry Lane, was a mayor of Portland, Oregon and then U.S. Senator from 1913 until his death in 1917.

Joseph Lane Middle School in Roseburg is named for him, as is Joseph Lane Middle School in Portland.

References

External links

*CongBio|L000062
*Find A Grave|id=5546508
* [http://www.1st-hand-history.org/JLane/JLindex.htm General Joseph Lane] at First Hand History, includes primary documents.
* [http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv58488 Guide to the Joseph Lane Papers at the University of Oregon] The Joseph Lane papers include diaries, correspondence, legal documents, newspaper clippings, and a draft of Nina Lane Faubion’s biography of Lane
* [http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/photo/flane.html Joseph Lane's photographs at the University of Oregon.]

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Territorial Governor of Oregon
before=George Abernethy⁽¹⁾
years=1848 – 1850
after=Kintzing Prichettesuccession box
title=Territorial Governor of Oregon (acting)
before=John P. Gaines
years=May 16, 1853 – May 19, 1853
after=George Law CurryUSRepSuccession box
state=Oregon Territory
type=Delegate
before=Samuel Thurston
years=March 4, 1851 – March 4, 1859
after=Position dissolved
(Oregon statehood)U.S. Senator box
state=Oregon
class=3
before=Position created
(Oregon statehood)
years=1859-1861
after=James W. Nesmith
alongside=Delazon Smith, Edward D. Baker