Complex sentence: A conservative, Lane had initially supported Byrd Organization lieutenant and former governor Mills Godwin during the Massive Resistance crisis of the 1950s, including voting for legislation allowing the governor to close schools rather than allow their desegregation pursuant to court order.
Split into simpler sentences: A conservative, Lane had initially supported the Byrd Organization, through former governor Mills Godwin. During the Massive Resistance crisis of the 1950s, Lane voted for legislation allowing the governor to close schools rather than allow their desegregation pursuant to court order.