Harry Lane

Who was Harry Lane?

Harry Lane was an American politician in the state of Oregon. A physician 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 Lane won election as the mayor of Portland in 1905, gaining re-election in 1907. Lane's tenure in office was largely ineffective, 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 where he was a leading advocate for woman suffrage and a more benevolent relationship between the American government and the nation's Native American population. He was one of a small handful of federal legislators to vote against American participation in the war in April 1917, an action which made him the prospective subject of a recall effort. This campaign was rendered moot when Lane died in office on May 23, 1917.