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Because of two decades of poorly paid government service, and the expenses of his final illness, he left no estate, and a public fund was established to support his widow. Newspapers reported that had he not been born in what is now Canada, he would have become president.
Franklin K. Lane (born July 15, 1864, near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Can.—died May 18, 1921, Rochester, Minn., U.S.) was a U.S. lawyer and politician who, as secretary of the interior (1913–20) made important contributions to conservation.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Nov 6, 2015 · He was christened Franklin Knight Lane. Lane was not long for the Island. In 1871, the family patriarch, not a fan of the Island’s cold climate (imagine that!), whisked them away to distant California, and Lane would spend the rest of his life as a US citizen.
Two months later, Lane was selected as secretary of the interior by President Woodrow Wilson. For health and financial reasons, he resigned March 1, 1920. During this era, it was often said that Franklin Knight Lane could have been elected president — except for his Canadian birth.
Franklin Knight Lane, 1864–1921, U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1913–20), b. near Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada. Raised in California, he later studied law and practiced in San Francisco , where he entered Democratic politics and served as city and county attorney.
Because of two decades of poorly paid government service, and the expenses of his final illness, he left no estate, and a public fund was established to support his widow. Newspapers reported that had he not been born in what is now Canada, he would have become president.
His most striking accomplishment was the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. Due to a political split with Wilson, alleged press leaks, and a meager salary as a public servant, Lane resigned on March 1, 1920, to become the vice president of the Pan-American Petroleum Company.
