Franklin K. Lane Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Franklin Knight Lane (1864-1921), born on Prince Edward Island, was a newspaper owner in San Francisco when, running as a Democrat, he narrowly lost races for California Governor (1902) and Mayor (1903), in what ways then a heavily Republican state. He served eight years on the Interstate Commerce Commission (1905-1913), investigating abuses by the express companies and successfully recommending to Congress that the US Post Office establish a parcel post. He served in President Wilson's Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior (1913-1920), presiding over creation of the National Park System. It was said of Lane that if he had been born a US citizen, he would have been a serious contender for the Presidency. Apparently, Department of Interior employees had organized a dramatization of the Continental Congress to commemorate the upcoming140th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.