Henry Smith Lane

Henry Smith Lane was born February 11, 1811, in Kentucky. He was educated by tutors in his home; he later studied law and was admitted to the bar. In 1835, he moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana to practice law. He served in the Indiana House of Representatives in 1837 and 1838. In 1840, he won a seat in the U. S. Congress in a special election; he was re-elected the next year, but was unsuccessful in 1849 for an additional term. At the onset of the Mexican War in 1846, Lane mustered volunteers and became major of the 1st Indiana Regiment. Later he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and completed his service in 1848. He returned to Indiana where he was influential in the formation of the new Republican Party. Lane chaired the national convention in 1856 and attended the Chicago convention four years later. Henry Lane was elected the thirteenth governor of Indiana in 1860 and served in that capacity for two days. He resigned when the Legislature elected him to the U. S. Senate, and Oliver P. Morton assumed the position of Governor of Indiana. Lane, a supporter of the Civil War effort, served in the Senate until 1867. Following his term in office, he returned to Indiana. From 1869 to 1871, he served as special Indian commissioner in Indiana and served as commissioner for improvement of the Mississippi River in 1872. Lane died June 19, 1881, in Crawfordsville.

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