William Preston Lane Jr.
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William Preston Lane Jr. (May 12, 1892 – February 7, 1967) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Maryland from 1947 to 1951.


Early life and education

Lane was born in
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
, on May 12, 1892, to William Preston Lane and Virginia Cartwright Lane. He attended
public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in Hagerstown before graduating from the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
in 1915 with a law degree. He subsequently joined the law firm Lane, Bushong, and Byron in his hometown, where he also served on the vestry of Saint John's Church. Lane served during the Mexican Border Campaign (1916) as a captain in the
Maryland National Guard The Maryland Military Department (MMD) is a department of the State of Maryland directed by the adjutant general of Maryland. The Maryland Military Department consists of the: *State Operations section, which manages fiscal and administrative du ...
.


Military service

When the United States entered
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 1917, Lane joined the 115th Infantry Regiment as a captain and served in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He was awarded the
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
for his actions at Bois-des-Consevoye, where he assisted in the evacuation of wounded after a bridge was destroyed by enemy fire. He continued service in the military after the war as Assistant Division Adjutant of the 29th Division at the rank of major.


Career

Upon his return from service, Lane resumed the practice of law and began testing a career in politics. He ran for but lost the seat of Washington County State's Attorney in 1919. After his defeat, he served as the president of a small newspaper company, as president of a
tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
, and as a railroad executive. He married Dorothy Byron on January 17, 1922, and had two daughters, Dorothy and Jean.


Attorney General of Maryland

In 1928, Lane returned to politics when he was elected to the school board of Washington County. In 1930, the Democratic candidate for
Attorney General of Maryland The Attorney General of the State of Maryland is the chief legal officer of the State of Maryland in the United States and is elected by the people every four years with no term limits. To run for the office a person must be a citizen of and qua ...
died unexpectedly and a replacement had to be found. Since Lane had formed a friendship with
Albert Ritchie Albert Cabell Ritchie (August 29, 1876 – February 24, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he was the 49th governor of Maryland from 1920 to 1935. Ritchie was a conservative who campaigned for, but did not win, the presid ...
, the
Governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...
, he was placed on the ticket and won the seat by a large margin over his
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
opponent. The highlight of Lane's career as Attorney General was his pursuit of a
lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
prosecution on the
Eastern Shore of Maryland The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies mostly on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Nine counties are normally included in the region. The Eastern Shore is part of the larger Delmarva Peninsula that ...
in 1933. Two years earlier on the Shore, a notorious lynching had occurred in
Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
(the lynching of Matthew Williams), the response to which by Attorney-General Lane and Governor Ritchie was heavily criticized. Subsequently, another black man,
George Armwood George Armwood was lynched in Princess Anne, Maryland, on October 18, 1933. His murder was the last recorded lynching in Maryland. Details of the crime On October 16, 1933, a 71-year-old woman named Mary Denston was assaulted walking home from the ...
, was arrested and charged with raping a white woman in the adjoining Somerset County and was being held prisoner by police in
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of K ...
. However, a mob overran the police and kidnapped Armwood, badly beating, stabbing and mutilating him before the hanging, then burning his body in front of the nearby courthouse. Local police did not pursue prosecution of the lynch mob, but Lane took charge of the investigation. The
Maryland State Police The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP), is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesvill ...
and militia were called out by Governor Ritchie to assist, which resulted in further mob violence and arrests on the Eastern Shore, which damaged Lane's reputation. As Attorney General, Lane also pleaded two cases before the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
involving the assessment of submerged lands and the state's right to tax condemned federal lands. Lane chose not to seek re-election in 1934. After his tenure as Attorney General, Lane remained very active in state and national politics. From 1940 to 1950, he served as a member of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
from Maryland, and he was a delegate to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
from 1928 to 1948. In 1944, Lane managed
Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's Maryland campaign for re-election as
President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
. Lane also remained active in business, serving as president of an aircraft corporation and a bridge company. He also kept active in law as a member of the firm Lane and Mish.


Governor of Maryland

In 1946, Lane decided to run for governor. In the Democratic primary election, he defeated challengers
J. Millard Tawes John Millard Tawes (April 8, 1894June 25, 1979), was an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party who was the 54th Governor of Maryland from 1959 to 1967. He remains the only Marylander to be elected to the three positions of Stat ...
and H. Streett Baldwin, and then defeated Republican
Theodore R. McKeldin Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin (November 20, 1900August 10, 1974) was an American politician. He was a member of the Republican Party, served as mayor of Baltimore twice, from 1943 to 1947 and again from 1963 to 1967. McKeldin was the 53rd Govern ...
in the general election 54% to 45%. As governor, Lane and his administration worked towards improving the
public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
,
mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
, and highway systems of the state. A newspaper report published in 1949 exposed serious flaws in the treatment of the mentally ill in the state, which resulted in the creation of the Department of Mental Hygiene and turned Maryland's mental hospitals by the end of the Lane administration into some of the best in the nation. Major highway improvements which had been deferred by
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
were also put in motion by Lane, which were funded by the enactment in 1947 of Maryland's first state
sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
. The
Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a major twin bridges, dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, Eastern Shore regio ...
, which now carries his name, was completed in 1952 under this plan. Several historic state facilities were also renovated during Lane's tenure, including the
Maryland State House The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis, Maryland. It is the oldest U.S. state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772 and houses the Maryland General Assembly, plus the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. In ...
which had not been adequately preserved since its construction in 1772. Lane faced
George P. Mahoney George Perry Mahoney (December 16, 1901 – March 18, 1989) was an Irish American Catholic building contractor and Democratic Party politician from the State of Maryland. A perennial candidate, Mahoney is perhaps most famous as the Democratic no ...
, a
perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates' existence lies in the fact that in some countries, there are no laws that limit a number of times a person can ...
, in the 1950 Democratic primary election held on September 18, 1950. The primary was close and bruising, and left the Lane campaign weakened for the general election against Theodore McKeldin, his opponent in the 1946 election. Additionally, his unpopular sales tax to fund road improvements had caused significant dissent in the state and was used by McKeldin to pull votes away from Lane. On November 7, 1950, Lane was defeated in the general election by 94,000 votes, 57% to 42%. At that point, it was the largest margin of defeat in Maryland history. Lane's term as governor ended on January 10, 1951. After his term as governor, Lane remained active in the Democratic party and engaged in business pursuits. He died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in 1967, and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Hagerstown.


Legacy

*William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge (more commonly known as the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a major twin bridges, dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, Eastern Shore regio ...
). *Lane Building (demolished in 2006) on the campus of Springfield State Hospital Center, Sykesville, Maryland.


References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, William Preston Jr. 1892 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American politicians United States Army personnel of World War I Burials at Rose Hill Cemetery (Hagerstown, Maryland) Democratic Party governors of Maryland Maryland Attorneys General Military personnel from Maryland Politicians from Hagerstown, Maryland Recipients of the Silver Star School board members in Maryland University of Virginia School of Law alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians