The Alaska daily empire., 1921-05-18
FORMER CHIEF
 DEPARTMENT OF
 INTERIOR DEAD
Franklin K. Lane Passes Away Suddenly at Hos
 pital in Minnesota.
Continued from Page One.)

would have been presidential timber After serving seven years in Presi dent Wilson's cabinet at Secretary of the Interior, he resigned his SIP, 000-a-year post inl expensive Wash ington early in 1920 'in justice .to his family" to become vice presi dent and legal adviser of the Mexi can petroleum companies controlled by Edward L. Doheny
 Born near Charlottetown. Prince Edward Island, July 15, 1864, the son of a Canadian doctor who re- moved to California during the boys childhood, young Lane was educated at the University of California from which he was graduated in 1886. By reason of his scholastic achievements the honorary degree of IL. D. was conferred upon his some years later by his alma mater and by New York and Brown Universities and the University of North Carolina.
 WasSNewspaper Man.
 Upon leaving college he engaged in newspaper work, becoming par owner and editor of the Tacoma Wash, Daily News. In 1889 he was admitted to the bar of California and from 1897 until 1902 served as Corporation Counsel for San Fran cisco In the latter year he was the Democratic candidate for Governor of California but was not elected He received the party vote of ths State legislature in 1903 for United States senator. Appointed a membei of the Interstate Commerce Commis. sion by President Roosevelt in 1905. later becoming chairman, MT. Lane was serving in that capacity when h was made Secretary of the Interior
 Reputation as Progressive.
 During his service on the Inter state Commerce Commission he earned the reputation of being a pro- gressive. His decisions in the rali way cases were said to have been al most invariably pleasing to men of advanced ideas. He favored for years National Corporation Com mission similar to the Interstate Com merce Commission with power to regulate all business enterprises en gagged in interstate commerce as the most effective rmdy for trdst evils He also advocated commission form of government for Alaska. He was elected members of the per manent International Railway Com organized in 1910. at the international Railway Congress in Berne, Switzerland.
 In 1916 MT. Lane headed the American delegates at a joint con ference with High Commissioners from Mexico, as result of which 2 protocol was signed at Atlantic City and United States troops were from that country.
 When the United States entered tie war in 1917, Secretary Lane in number of public speeches out lined the country's purposes and urged business men to show "sacri ices as worthy as those of the mer ,n their way to the trenches In addresses in behalf of the Liberty Loans he declared the de. feat of the United States was "un -hinkable" and that the government was determined to see the wa, fought to a. finish. When peace caniei ne devised plans for the employment 1f returning troops, urged Congress .o federalize the Americanization of he foreign-born, aided in the re- construction of France and other nations and advocated i'm. mediate passage of a bill to give arms to soldiers. He was also ac- i've in the Council for National De ense and the American Red Cross.
 Supported Big League.
 Secretary Lane was a keen sun 'orter of the League of Nations GOV ,nant and advocated ratification of he peace treaty of Versailles.
 In the summer of 1919 Secretary 1ane recommended to the President he calling of a conference of repre-. ientatives Of American capital, la. ,Or and industry to discuss economic problems. The National Industrial Conference. of which MT. Lane was made chairman, was the result Asl hartman of the Railroad Wage Com 1 mission in 1918 he helped to settle lumber of strikes and avert threat ned walkouts.
 Mir. Lane married in 1893 Miss