Everything about Francis Preston Blair totally explained
Francis Preston Blair, Sr. (
April 12,
1791 –
October 18,
1876) was an
American journalist and politician.
Biography
Blair was born at
Abingdon,
Virginia. He moved to
Kentucky, graduated from
Transylvania University in 1811, took to
journalism, and was a contributor to
Amos Kendall's paper, the
Argus, at
Frankfort. In 1830, having become an ardent follower of
Andrew Jackson, he was made editor of the
Washington Globe, the recognized organ of the Jackson party. In this capacity, and as a member of Jackson's "
Kitchen Cabinet", he long exerted a powerful influence; the
Globe was the administration organ until 1841, and the chief
Democratic organ until 1845; Blair ceased to be its editor in 1849.
In 1848 he actively supported
Martin Van Buren, the
Free Soil candidate, for the presidency, and in 1852 he supported
Franklin Pierce, but soon afterwards helped to organize the new
Republican Party, and presided at its preliminary convention at
Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania in February 1856. He was influential in securing the nomination of
John C. Frémont at the June
1856 convention, and of
Abraham Lincoln at the
1860 convention.
After Lincoln's re-election in
1864 Blair thought that his former close personal relations with the
Confederate leaders might aid in bringing about a cessation of hostilities, and with Lincoln's consent went unofficially to
Richmond and induced President
Jefferson Davis to appoint commissioners to confer with representatives of the United States (although this may have been a result of internal pressure). This resulted in the futile "
Hampton Roads Conference" of
February 3,
1865. After the
Civil War Blair became a detractor of President
Andrew Johnson's reconstruction policy, and eventually rejoined the Democratic Party. He died at
Silver Spring,
Maryland.
Founder of Silver Spring
In 1840 Blair (and perhaps his daughter
Elizabeth) encountered a "
mica-flecked" spring in the vicinity of Seventh Street Pike (now
Georgia Avenue), and liked the location so much that he bought the surrounding land and created a summer home for his family called Silver Spring. The
city of the same name took its name from Blair's estate.
Family
Blair had two sons,
Montgomery Blair (1813–1883) and
Francis Preston Blair, Jr. (1821–1875), as well as a nephew,
Benjamin Gratz Brown (1826–1885), who were also prominent in American politics. He had a daughter
Elizabeth Blair (1818-1906) who married Rear Adm.
Samuel Phillips Lee. He is also a great-great-grandfather of actor
Montgomery Clift (1920–1966).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Francis Preston Blair'.
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