Harry Lane (August 28, 1855 – May 23, 1917) was an American politician in the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. A

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

by training, Lane served as the head of the Oregon State Insane Asylum before being forced out by political enemies. After a decade practicing medicine, the progressive

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

won election as the mayor of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

in 1905, gaining re-election in 1907. Lane's tenure in office was largely uneventful, although he did gain lasting recognition for having appointed the first female police officer in America in 1908 as well as for his vision that the city should host an annual Rose Festival. In November 1912, Lane was elected to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

where he was a leading advocate for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

and a more benevolent relationship between the American government and the nation's Native American population. He voted against American participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in April 1917, an action which made him the prospective subject of a

recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning * Recall (memory) * ''Recall'' (Overwatch ...

effort. This campaign was rendered moot when Lane died in office on May 23, 1917.

Biography

Early years

Harry Lane was born in Corvallis, Oregon, a small town on the banks of the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

, on August 28, 1855. He was the son of Eliza Jane and Nathaniel Lane."Harry Lane,"
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Washington, DC: United States Congress. Accessed November 26, 2008. The elder Lane was a successful participant in the California Gold Rush of the late 1840s who had returned to

to invest his mining proceeds in construction of a lumber mill.Robert D. Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism in Progressive Era Portland, Oregon.'' Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003; pg. 30. The Lanes were part of a prominent Oregon political family. Nathaniel Lane's father

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. ...

had been the first territorial

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

and was immortalized as the namesake of

Lane County, Oregon Lane County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 382,971, making it the fourth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Eugene. It is named in honor of Joseph Lane, Ore ...

. In the election of 1860 Joseph Lane had achieved national prominence as the Vice Presidential running mate of

John C. Breckinridge John Cabell Breckinridge (January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. He represented Kentucky in both houses of Congress and became the 14th and youngest-ever vice president of the United States. Serving ...

on the pro-slavery Southern Democratic Party ticket — with the pair carrying 11 states in a losing effort to

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. Nathaniel's brother,

Lafayette Lane Lafayette Lane (November 12, 1842 – November 23, 1896) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a US Representative from the U.S. state of Oregon from 1875 to 1877. He was the son of Oregon Senator Joseph Lane and an un ...

, was elected a member of the

Oregon Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the ...

and

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. Harry would eventually continue the family tradition, albeit as a Democrat of an altogether different stripe than had been his uncle and grandfather. The Lane family's mill was destroyed in a fire and his parents opened a general store following the catastrophe. It was there that Harry began his employment career at the age of 13, working part-time as a clerk. Harry continued to attend the public schools of Corvallis, graduating from

Corvallis High School Corvallis High School may refer to: *Corvallis High School (California) *Corvallis High School (Montana) *Corvallis High School (Oregon) Corvallis High School (CHS) is a four-year public secondary school in Corvallis, Oregon. Originally estab ...

. Upon graduation Lane enrolled at

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

, located in the capital city of Salem, from which he graduated in 1876. In 1878, Lane earned a medical degree from Willamette's medical school and then continued his medical education with postgraduate work at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City.

Medical career

Lane returned to Oregon after completing his post-graduate education, which included time spent in New York, Europe, and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 31. Lane put down roots and opened a medical practice in the state's largest city,

, where he would eventually serve as the president of city, county, and state medical societies. In 1887, Lane was tapped by Governor Sylvester Pennoyer to become the superintendent of the Oregon State Insane Asylum (known today as the Oregon State Hospital). Lane aggressively investigated charges of corruption in conjunction with the hospital — activity which made him no few enemies. In 1891 Governor Pennoyer responded to political pressure critical of Lane and forced him to resign his post at the hospital. The experience left Lane disgusted and distrustful of the political process.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 32. Lane returned to medical practice in Portland, working for the next decade as a "poor people's doctor," frequently on a pro bono basis. Harry Lane was "better at making friends than making money," his widow later recalled.

Mayor of Portland

Lane was won over to the ideas of direct democracy and political reform that were part and parcel of the

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

in the United States. In 1902 he ran his first political campaign, standing for Oregon State Senate on an independent reform ticket. The campaign was unsuccessful but Lane was bitten by the "political bug" and other electoral efforts were soon to follow. In 1905, Lane ran for the non-partisan position of Mayor of Portland. This time Lane emerged victorious and he served two 2-year terms. Lane attempted to govern the city as a social reformer but he frequently found himself the holder of an ineffective veto pen, as saloon and corporate interests continued to control the agenda of the Portland City Council. Although he was popular among voters, as mayor he accomplished little of lasting value because, not being a "party man", he had no leverage with the leaders of either party. His independent spirit was seen as a symbol around which the "common people" could rally in defiance of the established business-political leadership. He also helped the mayors of other cities in California and Oregon to create jobs for the homeless, instead of sending them from city to city as was a common practice at the time. As mayor, Lane was an enthusiastic host for a national convention in support of

in 1905, and he was thereafter recognized as a friend of the movement for equality between the sexes.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 35. He took a further step for the advance of

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

when he swore in

Lola Baldwin Aurora "Lola" Greene Baldwin (1860 – June 22, 1957) was an American woman who became one of the first policewomen in the United States. In 1908, she was sworn in by the City of Portland as Superintendent of the Women's Auxiliary to the Pol ...

to the

Portland Police Bureau The Portland Police Bureau (PPB), officially the Portland Bureau of Police, is the law enforcement agency of the city of Portland, the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. While oversight of Portland's bureaus shifts among the five City ...

as one of the first female police officers in the United States on April 1, 1908. While mayor, at the end of the

Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide exposition held in Portlan ...

, he advocated for a "permanent rose carnival", leading him to be called the "Father of the

Portland Rose Festival The Portland Rose Festival is an annual civic festival held during the month of June in Portland, Oregon. It is organized by the volunteer non-profit Portland Rose Festival Association with the purpose of promoting the Portland region. It inclu ...

", which continues today. Lane was an advocate of direct democracy and led an unsuccessful voter referendum to establish municipal ownership of the Portland electric system. A flurry of measures were taken before the voters — 32 proposals in 1909 alone. Among his successes at the polls in these direct votes, Lane was instrumental in winning approval of a new mandate that future utility franchises granted by the city should be subject to popular vote rather than back-room dealmaking between interested parties and elected politicians. Throughout his life Lane was committed to exposing and correcting the wrongs suffered by Native Americans at the hands of European immigrants to America.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 33. At a 1905 unveiling of a statue of Sacajawea Mayor Lane declared that violence between native and white populations had always been the result of "white people ill-treating the Indians who had befriended them."

Member of the U.S. Senate

The 1912 Oregon ballot for

was cluttered. In addition to the Democrat Harry Lane and

Ben Selling Ben Selling (1852 or April 29, 1853 – 1931) was a businessman, philanthropist, civil rights advocate, and politician in Portland, Oregon, United States. He was a noted leader in the Jewish community, and he owned a clothing store in downtown Po ...

, a candidate of the conservative wing of the Republican Party, progressive Republicans had other electoral alternatives, including the

Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to: Active parties * Progressive Party, Brazil * Progressive Party (Chile) * Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus * Dominica Progressive Party * Progressive Party (Iceland) * Progressive Party (Sardinia), Ita ...

candidate and the incumbent senator Jonathan Bourne Jr., who had failed to win the renomination of the Republican party and ran as the "Popular Government" nominee as a result. Meanwhile, Benjamin Ramp stood for the

Socialists Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...

and yet another candidate was the nominee of the Prohibition Party.Dave Leip (ed.)
"1912 Senatorial General Election Results - Oregon,"
Atlas of US Presidential Elections, www.uselectionatlas.org/ Astoundingly, each of these six candidates took more than 5% of the vote — a fact which enabled the Democrat Lane to win election with a plurality of the vote in solidly Republican Oregon. Intent on proving himself a man of the people, Harry Lane set what might be a record for campaign frugality in his victorious effort, with his entire race run for the princely sum of $75 plus travel expenses. He was also known for frugality as a congressman, and did not conform to the modern stereotype of the free-spending liberal. He was reported as being "the most inquisitive man in Congress" when it came to federal appropriations, and was known as "the human question mark" by his colleagues in the Senate. He was opposed to deficits and the "pure waste of public funds." Lane's daughter was herself a member of the Socialist Party of America, as was her husband, the journalist

Isaac McBride Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...

. Upon his election the increasingly radical Harry Lane wasted no time in hiring his son-in-law as his personal secretary and administrative assistant. McBride remained active in the

anti-militarism Antimilitarism (also spelt anti-militarism) is a doctrine that opposes war, relying heavily on a critical theory of imperialism and was an explicit goal of the First and Second International. Whereas pacifism is the doctrine that disputes (especia ...

activities of the Socialist Party even while working for Lane and was the intermediary between

"Big Bill" Haywood William Dudley "Big Bill" Haywood (February 4, 1869 – May 18, 1928) was an American labor organizer and founding member and leader of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and a member of the executive committee of the Socialist Party of ...

of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...

and Lane, gaining the Senator's help in an unsuccessful effort to spare the life of IWW

cause célèbre A cause célèbre (,''Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged'', 12th Edition, 2014. S.v. "cause célèbre". Retrieved November 30, 2018 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/cause+c%c3%a9l%c3%a8bre ,''Random House Kernerman Webs ...

Joe Hill. While in Congress he served on the Committee on Forest Reservations and Game Protection, the

Committee on Fisheries The Committee on Fisheries (PECH) is a committee of the European Parliament. Chris Davies was the chairman (2019 – 2020) - until the United Kingdom left the European Union. Committee mandate PECH is the European Parliament committee respon ...

, and the

Committee on Indian Affairs The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...

.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 37. Lane regarded the last of these as his most important work, criticizing longstanding government policy aimed at "civilizing" the Native American population. Lane pulled no punches:

I think the whole scheme of our management of the affairs of the Indian is a mistake. It is wrong; it is expensive to the Government; it is fatal to the Indians.Quoted in Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 37.

The poverty of the Indian population was through no fault of their own, Lane declared, with the Native American people prostrate while "the white man is astride them and is at work taking everything they have." In addition to his distinctly radical views on Indian Affairs, Lane championed a number of other controversial views as a member of the Senate. He was a leading advocate for the woman suffrage movement, introducing resolutions in its behalf. Lane also supported government ownership of the national

telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...

and

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

networks, the merchant marine, and certain mining corporations. He was critical of the

Clayton Antitrust Act The Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914 (, codified at , ), is a part of United States antitrust law with the goal of adding further substance to the U.S. antitrust law regime; the Clayton Act seeks to prevent anticompetitive practices in their incipie ...

for its toothless inability to restrain the avarice of "big business and crooks."Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 41. Lane challenged white supremacist Senator Hoke Smith of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

on the floor of the Senate to acknowledge the successes of black farmers in the American South and protested instances of racial discrimination inserted into appropriations legislation. He was skeptical about American claims of violation of property rights by the government and insurgent movements in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and was an outspoken opponent of imperialism and for the national independence of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 36. It was with respect to American involvement in

that Lane was his most outspoken. Late in 1915 Lane joined Socialist

Meyer London Meyer London (December 29, 1871 – June 6, 1926) was an American politician from New York City. He represented the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was one of only two members of the Socialist Party of America elected to the United States Congre ...

in co-sponsoring a resolution criticizing the deepening sense of war-related fear and calling upon

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

to convene a conference of neutral nations with a view to ending the European conflict. Even after the resumption of unlimited German submarine warfare in their effort to blockade their enemies, Lane refused to support an end to diplomatic relations with the German empire. Lane was an outspoken opponent of Wilson's plan to arm merchant ships, arguing that the conservative Democratic President was thereby attempting to usurp the Congressional prerogative to

declare war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national government, in ...

and to replace it with Executive authority. This filibuster to block Wilson's effort to expand war powers through his Armed Neutrality Bill proved successful. Lane and his co-thinkers, including

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Senator

Robert M. La Follette Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...

, became the targets of intense political hostility in the aftermath, however, with President Wilson demeaning them as "a little group of willful men, representing no opinion but their own" who nevertheless "rendered the great Government of the United States helpless and contemptible." Many Oregonians were similarly incensed, and an outcry erupted for Lane's recall from office."Threaten Recall of Senator Lane,"
''New York Times,'' March 6, 1917. An editorial in

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

newspaper stated "Next to being ashamed of Harry Lane for what he has done ... the people of Oregon are ashamed of themselves for having sent Harry Lane to the United States Senate." Although the press lambasted him, a friend wrote in a letter that the majority of people "insist that you did exactly right ... It is the newspapers that are doing most of the kicking."

Death and legacy

Lane was a chronically ill person in 1917, suffering from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied ...

or advanced

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis, which ...

.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 42. His precarious condition was further undermined by the intense barrage of public criticism to which he was subjected.Johnston, ''The Radical Middle Class,'' pg. 43. Nevertheless, on April 4, 1917, against the advice of doctors, Lane made his way to the Senate floor to vote against the Declaration of War against Germany which had been the product of an April 2 speech by the President. Joining Lane in opposition were just five other Senators: Robert La Follette,

William J. Stone William Joel Stone (May 7, 1848April 14, 1918) was a Democratic politician from Missouri who represented his state in the United States House of Representatives from 1885 to 1891, and in the U.S. Senate from 1903 until his death; he also served ...

, James Vardaman,

Asle Gronna Asle Jorgenson Gronna (December 10, 1858May 4, 1922) was an American politician who served in the House of Representatives and Senate from North Dakota, and one of the six to vote against the United States declaration of war leading to the First ...

, and

George W. Norris George William Norris (July 11, 1861September 2, 1944) was an American politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. He served five terms in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican, from 1903 until 1913 ...

. Shortly after the vote Lane's health gave way and he collapsed. He died en route to Portland on May 23, 1917. Harry Lane was buried at

Lone Fir Cemetery Lone Fir Cemetery in the southeast section of Portland, Oregon, United States is a cemetery owned and maintained by Metro, a regional government entity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first burial was in 1846 with the cem ...

in Portland and

Charles L. McNary Charles Linza McNary (June 12, 1874February 25, 1944) was an American Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Oregon. He served in the United States Senate, U.S. Senate from 1917 to 1944 and was Party leaders of the United ...

was appointed to finish Lane's term.Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.)
"Lone Fir Cemetery,"
Political Graveyard, www.politicalgraveyard.com/ A small collection of Harry Lane papers are held by the research library of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. The material includes a small number of letters to and from Lane, as well as a draft for an uncompleted biography prepared during the 1940s.Geoffrey B. Wexler
"Guide to the Harry Lane Papers: 1891-circa 1940,"
Northwest Digital Archives, nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/

Footnotes

Works

* ''Panama Canal Tolls: Speech.'' Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1914. * ''Child Labor and the Constitution: Speech in the Senate of the United States, August 8, 1916.'' Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1916. * ''One Way to Keep Out of European War: Remarks of Hon. Harry Lane of Oregon, in the Senate of the United States, February 7 and 8, 1917.'' Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1917.

External links

Harry Lane, late a senator from Oregon, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1919
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Harry Willamette University alumni Oregon Health & Science University alumni Physicians from Portland, Oregon Mayors of Portland, Oregon Oregon Democrats Democratic Party United States senators from Oregon Politicians from Corvallis, Oregon Burials at Lone Fir Cemetery 1855 births 1917 deaths Corvallis High School (Oregon) alumni Lane family of Oregon 19th-century American politicians Willamette University College of Medicine alumni