Lane, Franklin Knight National Historic Person
De Sable, Prince Edward Island
Franklin Knight Lane, ca. 1913
© Library of Congress
Address :
Monument Road near Trans-Canada Highway, De Sable, Prince Edward Island
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1938-05-19
Life Date:
1864 to 1921
Other Name(s):
-
Lane, Franklin Knight
(Designation Name)
Importance:
United States Secretary of the Interior (1913-20), Interstate Commerce Commissioner
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Monument Road near Trans-Canada Highway, De Sable, Prince Edward Island
Born in De Sable, Lane grew up in California where he was educated and called to the bar in 1886. Having worked in journalism and in law, he entered politics as a Democrat. Appointed to the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1906 he was the tireless champion of the public against big business. Secretary of the Interior in Wilson’s cabinet he was particularly interested in conservation and better treatment for Indians. Despite his earlier anti-corporate radicalism, he became Vice-President of Pan-American Petroleum in 1920. His published speeches and letters attracted wide attention. He died at Rochester, Minnesota.