1864.  July 15.  Born near Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 1871-76.  Taken to California.  Went to Grammar School at Napa,
California.
1876.  Went to Oakland, California.  Oakland High School. 1884-86.  University of California, Berkeley, California.  Special student. 1885.  Reporting on Alta California in San Francisco for John P. Irish. 1887.  Studied Hastings Law School. 1888.  Admitted to the Bar.
1889.  Special Newspaper Correspondent in New York for San
Francisco Chronicle.
1891.  Bought interest in Tacoma News and edited that paper. 1892.  Campaigned in New York for Cleveland. 1893.  Married.
1895.  Returned to California.  Practiced law.
1897-98.  On Committee of One Hundred to draft new Charter for San
Francisco.
1898.  Elected City and County Attorney to interpret new Charter. 1899.  Reelected City and County Attorney. 1901.  Reelected City and County Attorney.
1902.  Nominated for Governor of California on Democratic and
Non-Partisan Tickets.
1903.  Democratic vote in Legislature for United States Senator. 1903.  Nominated for Mayor of San Francisco. 1905.  December.  Nominated by President Roosevelt as Interstate
Commerce Commissioner.
1906.  June 29.  Confirmed by Senate as Interstate Commerce Commissioner. 1909.  Reappointed by President Taft as Interstate Commerce Commissioner. 1913.  Appointed Secretary of the Interior under President Wilson. 1916.  Chairman American-Mexican Joint Commission. 1918.  Chairman Railroad Wage Commission.
1919.  Chairman Industrial Conference.
1920.  March 1.  Resigned from the Cabinet.
1920.  Vice-President of Pan-American Petroleum Company. 1921.  May 18.  Died at Rochester, Minnesota.

FAMILY NAMES

Franklin K. Lane was the eldest of four children. 
Father:  Christopher S. Lane. 
Mother:  Caroline Burns. 
Brothers:  George W. Lane. 
          Frederic J. Lane. 
Sister:  Maude (Mrs. M. A. Andersen). 
He was married to Anne Wintermute, and had two children: 
Franklin K. Lane, Jr. ("Ned"). 
Nancy Lane (Mrs. Philip C. Kauffmann).

THE LETTERS OF FRANKLIN K. LANE

I

INTRODUCTION

Youth—­Education—­Characteristics

Although Franklin Knight Lane was only fifty-seven years old when he died, May 18, 1921, he had outlived, by many years, the men and women who had most influenced the shaping of his early life.  Of his mother he wrote, in trying to comfort a friend, “The mystery and the ordering of this world grows altogether inexplicable. ...  It requires far more religion or philosophy than I have, to say a real word that might console one who has lost those who are dear