Corvallis, graduating from Corvallis High School. Upon graduation Lane enrolled at Willamette University, located in the capital city of Salem, from which he graduated in 1876. In 1878, Lane earned a medical degree from Willamette's medical school and then continued his medical education with postgraduate work at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. Medical career Lane returned to Oregon after completing his post-graduate education, which included time spent in New York, Europe, and San Francisco. Lane put down roots and opened a medical practice in the state's largest city, Portland, where he would eventually serve as the president of city, county, and state medical societies. In 1887, Lane was tapped by Governor Sylvester Pennoyer to become the superintendent of the Oregon State Insane Asylum (known today as the Oregon State Hospital). Lane aggressively investigated charges of corruption in conjunction with the hospital — activity which made him no few enemies. In 1891 Governor Pennoyer responded to political pressure critical of Lane and forced him to resign his post at the hospital. The experience left Lane disgusted and distrustful of the political process. Lane returned to medical practice in Portland, working for the next decade as a "poor people's doctor," frequently on a pro bono basis. Harry Lane was "better at making friends than making money," his widow later recalled. Mayor of Portland Lane was won over to the ideas of direct democracy and political reform that were part and parcel of the Progressive Era in the United States. In 1902 he ran his first political campaign, standing for Oregon State Senate on an independent reform ticket. The campaign was unsuccessful but Lane was bitten by the "political bug" and other electoral efforts were soon to follow. In 1905, Lane ran for the non-partisan position of Mayor of Portland. This time Lane emerged victorious and he served two 2-year terms. Lane attempted to govern the city as a social reformer but he frequently found himself the holder of an ineffective veto pen, as saloon and corporate interests continued to control the agenda of the Portland City Council. Although he was popular among voters, as mayor he accomplished little of lasting value because, not being a "party man", he had no leverage with the leaders of either party. His independent spirit was seen as a symbol around which the "common people" could rally in defiance of the established