Francis Preston Blair | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Blairc. 1870 | |
| Born | (1791-04-12)April 12, 1791 Abingdon, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | October 18, 1876(1876-10-18) (aged 85) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Transylvania University |
| Occupations | Journalist, politician |
| Years active | 1830–1849 |
| Political party |
|
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 (incl.Montgomery,Elizabeth, andFrancis Jr.) |
| Signature | |
 | |
Francis Preston Blair Sr. (April 12, 1791 – October 18, 1876) was an American journalist, newspaper editor, and influential figure in national politics advising various U.S. presidents across party lines. He was an early member of theDemocratic Party, and a strong supporter of PresidentAndrew Jackson, having helped him win Kentucky in the1828 presidential election. From 1831 to 1845, Blair worked as Editor-in-Chief of theWashington Globe, which served as the primary propaganda instrument for the Democratic Party, and was largely successful. He was an influential advisor to President Jackson, and served prominently in a group of unofficial advisors and assistants known as the "Kitchen Cabinet".
Despite being a slaveholder fromKentucky, Blair later came to oppose the expansion of slavery into western territories. He supported theFree Soil Party ticket ofMartin Van Buren andCharles Francis Adams Sr. in the1848 presidential election. In 1854, in opposition to theKansas–Nebraska Act, Blair left the Democratic Party and helped establish theRepublican Party. He served as an advisor to PresidentAbraham Lincoln during theAmerican Civil War. In 1861, Lincoln sent him to offerRobert E. Lee command of a largeUnion army, but Lee declined and instead joined theConfederate Army. In 1865, Blair helped organize theHampton Roads Conference, a failed attempt to end the Civil war.
After theUnion's victory, Blair became disillusioned withRadical Reconstruction, a policy promoted by manyRadical Republicans. He eventually left the Republican party and rejoined the Democrats. His son,Francis Preston Blair Jr., was the party's nominee for vice president on a losing ticket in the1868 election. Blair died in 1876 at age 85.
His home,Blair House onLafayette Square across from theWhite House, is now used to host visiting heads of state and other guests of thepresident. Blair House was called "the world's most exclusive hotel" in 2009.[1]
Blair was born on April 12, 1791, inAbingdon, Virginia, to aScottish-American named James Blair, a lawyer who became theKentucky Attorney General, and Elizabeth Smith. Raised inFrankfort, Kentucky and referred to as "Preston" by the family members, he graduated fromTransylvania University with honors in 1811. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1817 but did not practice due to a vocal defect.[2] He took tojournalism, and became a contributor toAmos Kendall's paper, the FrankfortArgus.
During the social and financial turmoil caused by thePanic of 1819, Blair joined the Relief Party of Kentucky. He participated in theOld Court – New Court controversy inKentucky. He was president of the public Bank of the Commonwealth, which opened in May 1821 to provide relief for debtors. The Bank's charter was denied by theKentucky Court of Appeals (KCoA), which was backed by the United States 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The KCoA ruled that the relief measures already started were unconstitutional. The state legislature abolished the KCoA, and created a new Court of Appeals, but the Justices of the old KCoA refused to accept this act or turn over the Court's records. In 1824, Blair was appointed Clerk of the "New Court", and led a party which broke into the clerk's office and seized the records. A few years later, the New Court was abolished and Blair returned.[3]
As an ardent follower ofAndrew Jackson, he helped him to carry Kentucky in the1828 presidential election. In 1830, he was made editor ofThe Washington Globe, the newspaper that was the recognized organ of theJacksonian democracy. In this capacity, and as a member of Jackson's unofficial advisory council, the so-called "Kitchen Cabinet", he exerted a powerful influence on national politics.The Washington Globe was the administration's voice until 1841, and the chiefDemocratic organ until 1845, when Blair ceased to be its editor.[4] He partnered with John C. Rives, and started aprinting house, receiving profitable orders fromCongress, including publishing the proceedings of Congress inThe Congressional Globe, the precursor of theCongressional Record.[5] During his time in Washington serving Jackson, Blair acquired in 1836 what later became known as theBlair House at Washington, D.C.[6]
Throughout his life, Blair suffered fromtuberculosis.[7]
Blair backedJames K. Polk during the1844 presidential election; however, he did not establish a good rapport with Polk and was forced to sell his interest inThe Washington Globe. In1848, he actively supportedMartin Van Buren, theFree Soil candidate, for the presidency. Next, in1852, Blair supportedFranklin Pierce, but became disillusioned in his administration after Pierce backed theKansas–Nebraska Act. With other anti-slavery, free-soil Democrats, Blair helped to organize the newRepublican Party, and presided at its1856 preliminary convention atPittsburgh on February 22, 1856,[4] forging a party block out of discordant elements ofWhigs,abolitionists,free-soilers andnativists. He used his political experience, influence and persuasion to create a momentum for a new party.[8]
At the1856 Republican National Convention inPhiladelphia, he was influential in securing the nomination ofJohn C. Frémont, who was married toJessie Benton Frémont, a daughter of his old friend,Thomas Hart Benton, for the presidency.[9]: 163–164 At the1860 Republican convention inChicago, he was delegate at large fromMaryland and initially supportedEdward Bates in the1860 presidential nomination. When it became clear that Bates would not win, Blair supported the nomination ofAbraham Lincoln who went on to win the election and become the nation's 16th president.[10]: Ch. 8.
The elder Blair took it upon himself to advise Lincoln, and both of his sons,Francis Jr., who became a Union general, andMontgomery Blair, who joined Lincoln's cabinet, were the president's trusted associates. On April 17, 1861, just three days after the surrender ofFort Sumter, Lincoln asked Francis Blair to convey his offer to ColonelRobert E. Lee to command theUnion Army. The next day, Lee visited Blair acrossLafayette Square from theWhite House. Lee blunted Blair's offer of the Union command by saying: "Mr. Blair, I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned the four millions of slaves at the South, I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword uponVirginia, my native State?"[10]: 350
AfterLincoln's re-election in 1864, Blair thought that his former close personal relations with theConfederate leaders, including PresidentJefferson Davis, might aid in bringing about a cessation of hostilities, and with Lincoln's consent went unofficially two times toRichmond and induced President Davis to appoint commissioners including Confederate Vice PresidentAlexander H. Stephens to confer with representatives of the United States. This political maneuvering resulted in the futileHampton Roads Conference of February 3, 1865.[4]
During theReconstruction Era, Blair advocated a speedy reunification without placing much burden on the Southern states and spoke against theRadical Republicans' Reconstruction policies in the South. He became a political ally of PresidentAndrew Johnson, and eventually rejoined the Democratic Party.[4]
Blair established his residence inWashington, D.C. in 1836 after acquiring a home at 1651Pennsylvania Avenue. NW. The brick dwelling first became known asBlair's House and then simplyBlair House. In 1840, Blair and perhaps his daughterElizabeth encountered a "mica-flecked" spring in the vicinity of Seventh Street Pike, nowAcorn Park on Blair Mill Rd. off the renamedGeorgia Avenue inMontgomery County, Maryland. He liked the location at present-day East West Highway and Newell Street inSilver Spring, Maryland, so much that he bought the surrounding land and built a spacious summer home in 1849 which he calledThe Silver Spring. His son James, a naval officer, and his wife Mary lived in a two-story cottage on the estate, eventually naming itThe Moorings. Blair's other son, Montgomery, built a summer house for his family nearby, calling itFalkland; it was burned in 1864 during a Confederate raid by Lt. Gen.Jubal Early. Early denied personal involvement with the destruction ofFalkland and took credit for savingThe Crystal Spring from plunder.[9]: 176
In 1854, Blair gave his District of Columbia house to his son Montgomery and permanently settled at "The Silver Spring."[9] After his death, his daughter Elizabeth inherited the house for her lifetime.
Even though he held slaves in his household, Blair became convinced after theMexican-American War that slavery should not be extended beyond where it was currently allowed.[10]: Ch. 1. By 1862, Blair had told his slaves that they could "go when they wished"; he later said that "all but one declined the privilege," choosing to stay on as servants.[10]: Ch. 17.
After theAmerican Civil War, Blair placed all his political hopes and aspirations with his son,Francis Preston Blair Jr., who was the1868 Democratic vice presidential candidate and, in 1871, became aU.S. Senator, representing the state ofMissouri.
Blair died on October 18, 1876, inSilver Spring, Maryland, at the age of 85.[11]
Francis marriedEliza Violet Gist on July 21, 1812. He had three sons,Montgomery Blair (1813–1883), James L. Blair (1819–1852) andFrancis "Frank" Preston Blair Jr. (1821–1875), and two daughters, Juliet Blair (1816–1819) andElizabeth Blair (1818–1906). Montgomery and Francis became prominent in American politics. Among many contributions, Montgomery Blair represented Dred Scott before the United States Supreme Court in theseminal 1857 case regarding slavery. Francis became a prominent Senator and ran as the Democratic Party's nominee for vice president in 1868. James, who participated as a midshipman in Antarctica's exploration and was later commissioned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, made his fortune during theCalifornia Gold Rush, but died at an early age. Blair's daughter,Elizabeth married Rear AdmiralSamuel Phillips Lee and was a close friend ofMary Todd Lincoln. His nephew,Benjamin Gratz Brown (1826–1885) was also politically inclined, becoming a U.S. Senator and Missouri Governor. His grandson,Blair Lee I (1857–1944) became a U.S. Senator from Maryland.
As editor ofThe Washington Globe newspaper for 15 years and publisher ofThe Congressional Globe, Preston Blair became an influential political figure of theJacksonian Era, and served as an unofficial adviser to presidentsAndrew Jackson andMartin Van Buren. By idealizing republicanism and democracy as national ideals in his writing, he contributed to the growing popular spirit ofAmericanism.[12] Blair held onto his political capital during Van Buren's presidency, but began losing his political influence as the pro-slavery wing of the Democratic Party gained more power.
In response, after briefly supporting theFree Soil Party, he helped to launch the newRepublican party in 1854. At the outbreak of theCivil War, he personally conveyedLincoln's offer toRobert E. Lee to command all the Union armies, which Lee rejected. During the war, Blair served as unofficial political adviser to Lincoln.[13] After Lincoln's re-election, Blair organized the abortiveHampton Roads Conference, where peace terms were discussed with the Confederates, but no substantial issues resolved. He opposed the radical congressional Reconstruction of the South after the Civil War.
William Ernest Smith, Professor of American History fromMiami University inOxford, Ohio, wrote in 1933 that Francis Preston Blair and his two sons, Francis and Montgomery, "are representatives of a longer period of influence in American politics than any other family except the Adams family."[14] Two of Blair's three sons,Montgomery Blair andFrancis Preston Blair Jr. were prominent in American politics; his daughter,Elizabeth Blair Lee, wasMary Todd Lincoln's confidante. Blair's Washington, D.C., residence with its rich history withstood the test of time and currentlyBlair House is the common name of the President's Guest House complex.
The city ofSilver Spring, Maryland took its name from Blair's estate.[15] Out of three houses connected to the Blairs at Silver Spring, only the house of James Blair survived. In her will, Violet Blair Janin, a daughter of James and Mary Blair, designated the house for public use and renamed it fromThe Moorings toJesup Blair House in honor of her brother.[16][17] It is currently located in the center of 14.5-acre Blair Park at Silver Spring and is administered by theMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.[18]
In 1885, a new school at 635 I Street, NE in Washington D.C. was renamed the "Blair School" in honor of Francis P. Blair Sr.[19] The school was closed prior to 1978 when the building became the home of Blair House, a large Transitional Rehabilitation housing facility.[20]
Attribution:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Blair, Francis Preston".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 33.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
