Joseph Lane

Joseph Lane
United States Senator
from Oregon
In office
February 14, 1859 – March 3, 1861
Preceded byHimself (Shadow Senator)
Succeeded byJames Nesmith
United States Shadow Senator
from the Oregon Territory
In office
July 5, 1858 – February 14, 1859
Preceded bySeat established
Succeeded byHimself (U.S. Senator)
Governor of the Oregon Territory
In office
May 16, 1853 – May 19, 1853
Acting
Preceded byJohn P. Gaines
Succeeded byGeorge Curry (Acting)
In office
March 3, 1849 – June 18, 1850
Appointed byJames K. Polk
Preceded byGeorge Abernethy
Succeeded byKintzing Prichette
Delegate to the
U.S. House of Representatives
from the Oregon Territory's
at-large district
In office
March 4, 1851 – February 14, 1859
Preceded bySamuel Thurston
Succeeded byLa Fayette Grover (Representative)
Personal details
Born(1801-12-14)December 14, 1801
Buncombe County, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedApril 19, 1881(1881-04-19) (aged 79)
Roseburg, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePolly Hart
Children10, including Lafayette
RelativesHarry Lane (grandson)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1846–1848
RankBrigadier General

Joseph 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. Polk appointed Lane as the first Governor of Oregon Territory. When Oregon was admitted as a state in 1859, Lane was elected one of Oregon's first two U.S. Senators.

In the 1860 United States presidential election, Lane was nominated for vice president of the pro-slavery Southern wing of the Democratic Party, as John C. Breckinridge's running mate. Lane's pro-slavery views and sympathy for the Confederate States of America in the Civil War effectively ended his political career in Oregon.

One of his sons was later elected U.S. Representative, and a grandson U.S. Senator, making Lane the patriarch of one of the state's most prominent political families.