William Preston Lane, Jr.

William Preston Lane was elected Maryland's attorney general in 1930. When local officials did not act, he personally supervised the investigation of a lynch mob in Somerset county. Although prosecution was unsuccessful, it was the last lynching in Maryland and the national attention drawn by his efforts helped to turn the tide against such crimes. Lane was elected Maryland's 52nd governor in 1946. His administration created the department of mental hygiene and made major improvements to the state's highway system. This included construction of the first bridge across the Chesapeake bay, a major economic milestone for the eastern shore. The bridge was named in his honor in 1967.

Hagerstown, Maryland · United States