Early years

Born at Makao, Oahu, Lane was educated at Hauula School and St. Louis College. He held various jobs as a clerk, and from 1893 to 1900 farmed near Honolulu. Jon Lane was one of 12 children born of an Irish father and Hawaiian mother.

Military service

John and his brothers, Lot

Lot Lane

Lot Lonoikaua Kamehameha Carey Lane was the last insurgent to be captured by government forces after the Uprising of 1895 in Hawaii. He advocated better treatment for prisoners of war by the Republic of Hawaii, while being incarcerated himself.-Early life:...

 and James, were members of Queen Liliuokalani's personal guard at [[ʻIolani Palace]].

They were avowed royalists, and John Lane "was at her side when they usurped control and dethroned her in 1893, and was among those who took part in the counter-revolution in 1895

1895 Counter-Revolution in Hawaii

The 1895 Counter-revolution in Hawaii was a brief war from January 6 to January 9, 1895, that consisted of three battles on the island of Oahu, Hawaii...

 with the hope of restoring her throne and native Hawaiian rule," wrote Kathleen Dickensen Mellen in a 1954 Honolulu Advertiser

Honolulu Advertiser

The Honolulu Advertiser was a daily newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the largest daily newspaper in the American state of Hawaii. It published daily with special Sunday and Internet editions...

 article. He was captured during the Battle of Diamond Head along with Harry Bertleman, a fellow insurgent. He was suspected of murdering Charles L. Carter, one of the 13 members of the former Committee of Safety

Committee of Safety (Hawaii)

The Committee of Safety, formally the Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, was a 13-member group of the Hawaiian League also known as the Annexation Club...

, the charges were reduced to treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

 instead.

Political life

Lane was a devoted follower of the monarchy and joined the Hawaii Republican Party

Hawaii Republican Party

The Hawaii Republican Party is the state affiliate of the Republican Party of the United States. Based in Honolulu, the party is a central organization established for the promotion of the party platform as it is drafted in convention every other year...

 to be aligned with Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole

Jonah Kuhio Kalaniana'ole

Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaole Piikoi was a prince of the reigning House of Kalākaua when the Kingdom of Hawaii was overthrown by international businessmen in 1893...

. Lane became a member of the Hawaii Territorial Senate from 1905 to 1907 and introduced the bill establishing the City and County of Honolulu

Honolulu County, Hawaii

The City and County of Honolulu is a consolidated city–county located in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The municipality and county includes both the urban district of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, as well as several minor outlying islands, including all of the Northwestern Hawaiian...

. He married Alice Kalakini in 1909. He failed to win the post of mayor in 1908 and 1910, but was elected by an overwhelming majority in 1914. He was defeated in his bid for re-election in 1917 by the previous mayor Joseph J. Fern

Joseph J. Fern

Joseph “Joe” James Fern was the first Mayor of Honolulu from 1909 to 1915 and again from 1917 to 1920. During and after his tenure, Fern became one of the most beloved political figures in the Territory of Hawaii...

. Appointed high sheriff of the territory and warden of Oahu Prison in 1922, he resigned in 1932 during charges of lax administration and because of ramifications of the Massie Trial

Massie Trial

The Massie Trial for what was known as the Massie Affair, was a 1932 criminal trial that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii. Grace Hubbard Fortescue, along with several accomplices, was charged with murder in the death of well known local prizefighter Joseph Kahahawai...

. He continued his political career until 1948.