force Maryland into submission, but determined, along with the rest of the delegation, that Maryland should not secede. During the rest of the War, McLane refocused his attention back towards his law practice, as he had been appointed counsel for the Western Pacific Railroad in the winter of 1863. McLane would continue to devote his energies towards his law practice until well after the end of the Civil War, and did not re-enter politics until the Democratic National Convention in 1876. He entered the Maryland State Senate in 1877, representing Baltimore City. He left the State Senate in 1879 to again run for election to Congress. He was successful, and served two terms from March 4, 1879, to March 3, 1883. During his first term in Congress, he was chairman of the Committee on Pacific Railroads. McLane, according to Athen's Post newspaper of 22 March 1861, drew page 1 notice when harangued the audience delighted to hear him "By the living God, the Susquehanna river will run red with blood....I pledge my life and heart to march with you.... For what? To prevent a single human being from crossing into Maryland to execute the laws of the United States." Like many, McLane pumped up the crowds with hate and fear, lots of bravado, but those men who pumped-up crowds this way—did not actually do anything but get others to invade and kill, while they found ways to avoid actual battle. Governor of Maryland and Ambassador to France In 1883, the Maryland Democratic Party nominated McLane to be the next Governor of Maryland. In the election, McLane handily defeated his Republican opponent, Hart Benton Holton, by 12,000 votes. During his tenure, several notable pieces of legislation were passed, including the establishment of the Bureau of Statistics and Labor Information, and the establishment of a universal time standard throughout the state. McLane only served as governor for slightly over a year, from January 8, 1884, until his resignation on March 27, 1885, having been appointed by President Grover Cleveland as United States Minister Plenipotentiary to France. McLane moved to France with his wife, whom he had met there many years previously, to carry out his ambassadorial duties. He established permanent residence in Paris even after his tenure as ambassador expired in 1889, due to his wife's declining health. His own health began to decline in 1891, culminating in 1898 when he died.