Jim Lane: Scoundrel, Statesman, Kansan - Hardcover

In a series of compelling chapters, the life of James Henry Lane unfolds. Born in Indiana in 1814, "the Grim Chieftain" followed a path of political and personal controversy to become a trusted friend of Pres. Abraham Lincoln and used that source of federal patronage as the foundation for becoming the most powerful politician west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

After serving a term as a U.S. congressman representing Indiana, he moved to Kansas Territory in 1855. Upon gaining enough momentum to bring Kansas to statehood, he became the new state's first U.S. senator. Committed to the idea of popular sovereignty, Lane led a turbulent life fighting for his beliefs and his power. In his wake lay empty promises, turning friends into enemies. Distraught over his loss of influence after the war, compounding his ever-present depression, Lane took his own life with a self-inflicted gunshot.

Robert Collins acquaints us with this political powerhouse who turned the territory into "Bleeding Kansas." He is the author of General James G. Blunt: Tarnished Glory, published by Pelican, and writes articles on history and science fiction as well as fantasy short stories.