Life and Times of Bishop Isaac Lane.

Scarce biography of a founder-bishop and Black college visionary

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First edition of this important biography of Bishop Isaac Lane (1834–1937), one of the founding bishops of the Colored Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church and among its longest-serving leaders. Born enslaved in Tennessee, Lane taught himself to read as a child by stealing a speller, tearing out one page at a time, and hiding them in his hat while laboring in the fields. Converted in 1854, he became an exhorter in the Southern Methodist Church two years later. After emancipation, he played a key role in organizing the CME Church in 1870 and was elected bishop in 1873. His ministry extended across Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

The biography recounts Lane’s early trials, including his efforts to marry and reunite with Frances Boyce, also enslaved, and his campaign to educate his eleven children. Additional text documents Lane’s ministry during the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, including repeated church burnings, as well as his leadership under Reconstruction and the entrenchment of Jim Crow.

Lane’s most enduring legacy was the establishment of CME High School in Jackson, Tennessee, which became Lane College. He raised over $100,000 for the school, advocated a demanding academic and theological curriculum, and continued fundraising into his 100s.

Price: $150.00