Henry Smith Lane

Henry Smith Lane was a United States representative and senator and the 13th Governor of Indiana; he was by design the shortest-serving governor of Indiana, having made plans to resign the office should his party take control of the Indiana General Assembly and elect him to the United States Senate. He held that office for only two days, and was known for his opposition to slavery. A Whig until the party collapsed, he supported compromise with the South. He became an early leader in the Republican Party starting in 1856 serving as the president of the first party convention, delivering its keynote address, and was influential in the nomination of Abraham Lincoln. With the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, he became a full-fledged abolitionist, and in the Senate, he was a pro-Union advocate and a strong supporter of the Civil War effort to defeat the Southern Confederacy.

Country

United States

Category

Politicians

Type

Politician

Status

deceased

Dates

Lived 1811 to 1881 · aged 70

Written about in

10 languages