MOGMHLane
HARDAGE LANE 1789-1849
Grand Master, 1828-1831
BIOGRAPHY
From Biographies of Past Grand Masters, 1821-1901, by the Grand Lodge of Missouri:
Most Worshipful Brother Hardage Lane succeeded Brother Edward Bates as presiding officer, he being elected as such at the October session of the Grand Body in October, 1828. Brother Lane having served two years as Deputy Grand Master, his election to the Grand Master's chair was deserved. His administration was exceptionally popular, as he was given a second and third election, serving altogether as Grand Master three years.
In December, 1831, bis predecessor, Brother Edward Bates, became his successor as Grand Master. But little relative to Brother Lane in connection with his entry into Masonry can now be obtained. An old record of Missouri Lodge No. 1, under date of July 8, 1826, gives the only Lodge information to be obtained; he affiliated with that Lodge, but fails to state from what Lodge he dimitted, nor is there in existence any later records. The records of Missouri Royal Arch Chapter, under date August 13, 1827, show Companion Lane as a visitor from Vincennes (Indiana) R. A. Chapter No. 1.
The imperfect records of the Grand Lodge, or at least the published proceedings of early days, give but little information; however, we have discovered that Brother Lane, at the session of 1826, acted as Senior Deacon pro tem; he then held proxy of the Master and Senior Warden of Franklin Union Lodge No. 7; also that he was appointed Deputy Grand Master for the ensuing year. At the session of 1827 he appeared holding proxy of Boonville Lodge No. 14, and one year later, in 1828, he represented by proxy Franklin Union Lodge No. 7, also Tucker Lodge No. 13, and was in addition to Deputy Grand Master, Senior Grand Warden pro tem. We regret inability to give a more definite record, but the lapse of time and destruction of early records in many of the old lodges account for brevity in this sketch.
Brother Lane was a member of the Legislature in 1815 and 1816.
