Patrick McLane

Patrick McLane (March 14, 1875 – November 13, 1946) was an Irish-born American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

Biography McLane was born on March 14, 1875 in County Mayo, Ireland. He and his parents immigrated to the United States in 1882, and they moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania. There, he worked in coal mines for thirteen years and attended public schools. He served in the 11th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army in 1898 and 1899, fighting in the Spanish–American War.

After serving in the military, McLane between a locomotive engineer. He also involved himself in politics, serving on the Scranton School Board between 1904 and 1911. A Democrat, he was a delegate of the 1905 Democratic State convention and a member of the 1914 Democratic State committee. He was provisionally seated, but the election was contested. The House investigation found that, in his campaign, McClane had violated the Federal Corrupt Practices Act and that "there was widespread fraud and illegality in the election itself". Once the fraudulent returns were removed, McLane was found to have lost the election to John R. Farr, who succeeded him in office. As a result, he was unseated on February 25, 1921 by a vote of 161-121, and Farr succeeded him. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1922 and in 1924. He died on November 13, 1946, aged 76, in Scranton. He is buried in Cathedral Cemetery, in Scranton.