William "Bill" Homer Lane (November22, 1923 June28, 1980) was an American business executive who was CEO of Riviana Foods and a director at Colgate-Palmolive. He also served as the second chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters from 1976 to 1978.
William Homer Lane was born on November22, 1923 and raised in Maryville, Tennessee, where he attended Maryville High School. During World WarII, Lane served as a naval officer. He studied at the University of Tennessee (class of1947) and Georgia Tech. In 1960, Lane moved to Houston to work for Riviana Foods, then known as River Brand Rice Mills, where he became CEO and president. Lane oversaw in 1968 Riviana's majority acquisition of Hebrew National.
Lane was a trustee of Rice University from 1972 and a director at the Texas Commerce Bank and Colgate-Palmolive.
Lane supported Texas Democratic senator Lloyd Bentsen, and was campaign chairman for Bentsen's 1976 presidential run.
In Houston, Lane was a member of River Oaks Country Club. He was also a member of East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, where he came to know course native Bobby Jones. In 1964, Lane was invited by Jones to join Augusta National Golf Club. Twelve years later, Lane was Clifford Roberts's handpicked successor to be chairman of both Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters. He officially assumed the role at the end of the 1976 Masters Tournament, but suffered an intracranial aneurysm and was hospitalized in 1979, during the week of that year's tournament. Lane was temporarily replaced by Augusta vice-chair Hord Hardin, but his health never recovered, and Hardin was named permanent chairman in 1980. Roberts had expected Lane would hold the position for at least 25years.
Lane married his wife, Dorothy, with whom he had three children: WilliamJr., Peggy, and Timothy. Dorothy died on March24, 2016.
Lane died in Houston on June28, 1980 at the age of 56. The William H. Lane Neurological Fund at Houston Methodist Hospital was named in his honor by Dorothy Lane.