Robert Milligan McLANE, Congress, MD (1815-1898)
McLANE, Robert Milligan, (son of Louis McLane), a Representative from Maryland; born in Wilmington, Del., June 23, 1815; attended private schools in Wilmington, St. Maryâs College in Baltimore, and the College Bourbon in Paris; appointed a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point by President Jackson in 1833; was graduated in July 1837 and commissioned second lieutenant of Artillery; served with his regiment during the Seminole War in 1837 and 1838; transferred to the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1838, and served until he resigned in 1843; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1843 and commenced practice in Baltimore, Md.; member of the State house of delegates in 1845; elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth and Thirty-first Congresses (March 4, 1847-March 3, 1851); chairman, Committee on Commerce (Thirty-first Congress); was not a candidate for renomination in 1850; appointed commissioner to China in 1853, with the powers of a Minister Plenipotentiary, and at the same time accredited to Japan, Siam, Korea, and Cochin China; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1856 and 1876; appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Mexico March 7, 1859, and served until December 22, 1860; delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876; member of the State senate of Maryland in 1877; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1879-March 3, 1883); chairman, Committee on Pacific Railroads (Forty-sixth Congress); elected Governor of Maryland in 1883 and resigned in 1885; appointed by President Cleveland as United States Minister Plenipotentiary to France March 23, 1885, and served four years; died in Paris, France, April 16, 1898; interment in Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore, Md.
Bibliography
McLane, Robert Milligan. Reminiscences, 1827-1897, Governor Robert M. McLane. Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 1972.Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present
