James Franklin Lane

James Franklin Lane (1874–1944) was an American educator and college president. For 37 years, he served as the third president of Lane College, a private historically black college located in Jackson, Tennessee. He was the son of bishop Isaac Lane, the namesake of Lane College. His father was the fifth bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America (later known as the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church). He had 10 siblings, his sister Jennie Lane became the first teacher and principal of Lane College. He remained as president for 37 years. During his administration, the college improved its educational facilities and became one of the few Black schools to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Lane died at the age of 70 on December 11, 1944, in Jackson, Tennessee.