This article is about the U.S. Senator from Oregon. For the U.S. Representative from Iowa, see Joseph R. Lane. 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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
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.[2]
Retirement and legacy
Lane retired to Roseburg, Oregon where he died in 1881. He had been baptized Catholic in 1867.[4] His home there is now a museum maintained by the Douglas County Historical Society.[5] 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.[6]
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.[4] Joseph's grandson, Harry Lane, was a mayor of Portland, Oregon and then U.S. Senator from 1913 until his death in 1917.[4]
Joseph Lane Middle School in Roseburg is named for him, as is Joseph Lane Middle School in Portland.
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