Malcolm McLane

HANOVER — Malcolm McLane, 83, died peacefully on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008, at his home in Hanover.

Born on Oct. 3, 1924, in Manchester, Mr. McLane served on the New Hampshire Executive Council from 1977 to 1982 and was mayor of Concord from 1970 to 1976.

A Rhodes Scholar and graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Mr. McLane joined the Concord law firm of Orr & Reno in 1952 and was a founder of the Wildcat Mountain Ski Area in Pinkham Notch.

Mr. McLane spent the last months of World War II in a German prisoner of war camp after his plane was shot down during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

Mr. McLane was predeceased by his wife of 58 years, former State Sen. Susan McLane; and leaves five children, including Robin McLane of Portsmouth, and 11 grandchildren, including Marion McLane Read of Washington, D.C., formerly of Portsmouth, and dozens of nieces and nephews.

WE REMEMBER: Malcolm cared for his wife, Susan, for five years as she declined from Alzheimer's disease with grace and courage, as told by their daughter, Ann, in her book "The Last Dance: Facing Alzheimer's with Love and Laughter."

Mr. McLane's grandfather, John R. McLane, was governor of New Hampshire at the time the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed in 1905 and was influential in President Theodore Roosevelt's selection of Portsmouth as the site for the treaty negotiations between Russia and Japan.

Throughout his career in public service, Mr. McLane advocated for a fair and just tax system for New Hampshire. Committed to protecting New Hampshire's environment, he served on the boards of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests and the Appalachian Mountain Club. He also served on the board of directors of NARAL/Pro-Choice New Hampshire.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Capital Center for the Arts, 40 South Main St., Concord, NH 03301; the Circle Program, P.O. Box 815, Plymouth, NH 03264; or to the Susan McLane Memory Wellness Center at Riverbend Community Health Center, P.O. Box 2032, Concord, NH 03302.