James Henry Lane (Union General)

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James Henry Lane, also known as Jim Lane, (June 22, 1814 – July 11, 1866) was a partisan during the Bleeding Kansas period. It was right before the American Civil War. During the war itself, Lane was a United States Senator, and he was a general for the Union. Although reelected as a Senator during 1865, Lane committed suicide the next year.

James Henry Lane
James Henry Lane.jpg
United States Senator
from Kansas
In office
April 4, 1861 – July 11, 1866
Preceded byseat established
Succeeded byEdmund G. Ross
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Indiana's 4th district
In office
March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855
Preceded bySamuel W. Parker
Succeeded byWilliam Cumback
11th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
In office
December 5, 1849 – January 10, 1853
GovernorJoseph A. Wright
Preceded byParis C. Dunning
Succeeded byAshbel P. Willard
Personal details
Born(1814-06-22)June 22, 1814
Lawrenceburg, Indiana Territory
DiedJuly 11, 1866(1866-07-11) (aged 52)
Leavenworth, Kansas
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations
Democratic (before 1856)
Spouse(s)Mary E. Lane
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1846–1848, 1861–1862
RankUnion Army brigadier general rank insignia.svg Brigadier General
Battles/warsMexican–American War
American Civil War

Biography

Lane was born in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.[1] He was the son of Amos Lane.

He was a U.S. congressman from Indiana (1853–1855) where he voted for the Kansas–Nebraska Act.

On June 3, 1858, Lane shot and killed Gaius Jenkins in a land dispute in Lawrence. Reports say Jenkins was coming to get water from a well on the disputed land.[2] Jenkins was reported to have been showing a revolver. Lane had a shotgun. One of the men with Jenkins shot Lane in the leg, and Lane shot back killing Jenkins.[3]

Death and legacy

On July 1, 1866 Lane shot himself in the head as he jumped from his carriage in Leavenworth, Kansas.[4]

The following places were named in honor of him:

References

  1. "James Henry Lane". NNDB. Archived from the original on September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  2. "Shooting of Gaius Jenkins". Kansas Historical Society. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  3. "Jim Lane Shoots Gaius Jenkins". Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. "OBITUARY.; James H. Lane, United States Senator from Kansas". The New York Times. July 4, 1866. p. 5. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  5. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 180.

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