Lane, Mills B. (Mills Bee), 1912-1989

Mills B. Lane, Jr. was born in Savannah, Georgia on 12 January 1912 to Mary Comer and Mills B. Lane, Sr. He was married to Anne Waring and the couple had two children, Mills B. Lane, IV and Anita. He graduated from Yale University in 1934 and then took a job in Valdosta, Georgia as a clerk at Citizens and Southern National Bank, an institution that his father founded. Following the death of his father in 1946, Lane assumed the position of president of the bank and led the bank for nearly thirty years in Atlanta, Georgia. By the time of his retirement in 1973, the Citizens and Southern National Bank had become the largest bank in the South and the most profitable among the nation's fifty largest banks at the time. Besides being a successful Atlanta banker, Lane exerted a strong influence in Atlanta politics and in the redevelopment of the city. He successfully managed Ivan Allen, Jr.'s campaigns for mayor of Atlanta in 1961 and 1965. He also was integral in bringing major league sports to the city by supplying funds to build the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium which would become the home of baseball's Atlanta Braves and football's Atlanta Falcons. After his retirement from banking, Lane returned to Savannah, Georgia where he dedicated both his time and wealth to various philanthropic endeavors including Savannah's historical district, Armstrong Atlantic State University, and the Georgia Council on Economic Education. He died on 7 May 1989.

Mills B. Lane, Jr. (1912-1989), son of Mary Comer and Mills B. Lane, Sr., served as president of Atlanta-based Citizens and Southern National Bank for over 21 years. He initiated new lending practices and financed much of the city's physical redevelopment using liberal lending practices to foster minority-owned businesses. Lane, Jr. managed Ivan Allen, Jr.'s successful mayoral campaigns in 1961 and 1965. In 1969, Lane, Jr. acquired the Tullie Smith House from Roscoe Pickett and was appointed to the committee to oversee the restoration of the Tullie Smith House and its move to the Atlanta History Center campus.

Mills Bee Lane, Jr. (1912-1989), president of the Citizens and Southern National Bank from 1946-1972, son of Mills Bee Lane, Sr. (1860-1945), founder of the Citizens and Southern National Bank and president until 1928.

Mills (Bee) Lane IV (1942- ), publisher of the Beehive Press (Savannah, Ga.), author, son of Mills Bee Lane, Jr.