Thomas W. Lane Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1574 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	HOMAS W. LANE, one of the popular citizens and prominent and successful 
farmers and stock growers of Jerauld county, is a native of the state 
of Illinois, having been born in the city of Freeport, Stephenson 
county, on the 16th of May, 1857, and being a son of Thomas and Bridget 
Lane, the former of whom was born in England and the latter in Ireland. 
His father was for many years engaged in the grocery business in 
Freeport, he being now deceased. The wife is now living in Chicago, 
being about eighty-five years old. The subject of this sketch attended 
the public schools of his native city until he was thirteen years of 
age. He began to shift for himself when nine years old, working on a 
farm until thirteen years old, when he secured a position as brakeman on 
the Western Union Railroad, out of Freeport. He came to the territory of 
Dakota as conductor on a construction train on the Iowa & Dakota 
division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, in 1879, and was 
conductor on the first regular train with the coaches out of Mitchell, 
in May, 1880. He was identified with the line until the road reached 
Woonsocket, in May,1883,and then conducted trains from Sanborn, Iowa, to 
Chamberlain, South Dakota, until 1886, when he went to Minneapolis, 
Minnesota, and followed the same occupation until 1892. Then, on account 
of his wife's ill health, he went to his present ranch which land he 
secured from the government. Here he has ever since maintained his home, 
while he has purchased additional land and now has a finely improved 
ranch of twenty-six hundred acres, where he devotes his attention 
principally to the raising of high-grade live stock, conducting 
operations on an extensive scale and being one of the leading citizens 
of the county. 

	Mr. Lane is a staunch Republican in his political proclivities and 
has been an active worker in its cause, while in 1902 he served with 
marked acceptability as a member of the state senate from the nineteenth 
senatorial and sixteenth representative district; he has been incumbent 
of various township offices, in some one of which he has served ever 
since coming to the state. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, in 
which he passed the commandery degrees in 1881, being now identified 
with Crusade Commandery, No. 39, at Cherokee, Iowa, and to the Shrine at 
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, while he is also affiliated with the Modern 
Woodmen of America and the Order of Railway Conductors. He and his wife 
are members of the Baptist church.

	On the 14th of October 1880, Mr. Lane was united in marriage, at 
La Crosse Wisconsin, to Miss Lina A. Harrington, who was born in 
Cambria, Columbia county, that state, being a daughter of Jamies A. and 
Charlotte J. Harrington. Mr. and Mrs. Lane have no children.

	The town of Lane, in this county, was named in honor of the subject 
who lived here sixteen years. He owns a half interest in a section of land 
adjoining Grove Valley and a fourth interest in the quarter section on 
which the town is located.