James Gorrall Blair | |
|---|---|
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's8th district | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | John F. Benjamin |
| Succeeded by | Abram Comingo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-01-01)January 1, 1825 Blairville,Kentucky, US |
| Died | March 1, 1904(1904-03-01) (aged 79) |
| Resting place | Forest Grove Cemetery |
| Political party | Liberal Republican Party Democratic |
| Profession | lawyer |
James Gorrall Blair (January 1, 1825 – March 1, 1904) was an American slave owner,[1] lawyer, and politician who served one term as aU.S. representative fromMissouri from 1871 to 1873.
Born near Blairville, nowCynthiana, Kentucky, Blair's parents died when he was too young to remember them, and he was raised by relatives, including his maternal grandfather. He received a limited education before moving toMonticello, Missouri, in 1840, where he worked on farms. He continued his education on his own, and was elected clerk of the circuit court which includedLewis County, serving from 1848 to 1854.
Blair studied law while serving as court clerk, obtained admission to the bar in 1854, and began a practice inCanton.
ADemocrat during theAmerican Civil War, Blair supported theUnion and opposedsecession, but was unable to serve in the military because of poor eyesight and other health issues. After the war he opposed mostReconstruction measures as being overly harsh to former supporters of theConfederacy.
Blair had opposed slavery, and supported adoption of theThirteenth,Fourteenth, andFifteenth Amendments, which ended slavery and guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race. Democrats in Missouri largely opposed these amendments, causing Blair to join theRepublican Party.
He served as delegate to the Republican state convention in 1870.
Later that year he was elected to the U.S. House as a supporter of theLiberal Republican Party, and he served in the42nd Congress, March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873. During his term in Congress Blair attracted notice for introducing a bill (which did not pass) that would have legalized thepolygamous marriages ofMormons in the United States, on the grounds that the children of these marriages should be consideredlegitimate.
Blair was not a candidate for renomination in 1872, and returned to practicing law and operating a farm in Monticello. He maintained his interest in politics and returned to the Democratic Party, after Missouri Democrats tacitly accepted the constitutional amendments that the party had previously opposed.
He died in Monticello on March 1, 1904, and was interred at Forest Grove Cemetery in Canton.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMissouri's 8th congressional district 1871–1873 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
