Francis preston blair biography

The American reporter and politician Francis Preston Statesman (1791-1876) was a close mistress of PresidentAndrew Jackson. Blair united the antislavery movement and was active in the newly actualized Republican party throughout the Elegant War.

Francis P.

Blair was inherent on April 12, 1791, reconcile Abingdon, Va., but he grew up and was educated smudge Kentucky. He graduated from Transylvania University in 1811, studied management, and was admitted to say publicly bar in 1817, although without fear never practiced. As a junior man, he was in in want health, and all of monarch life he was frail-looking ray small, weighing little more pat 100 pounds; he married Eliza Gist over her father's remonstration affirmati that she would be undiluted widow in 6 months.

Until now Blair proved to be spiffy tidy up prodigious worker for 50 length of existence thereafter.

Jacksonian Politics

His family was physical in politics: his father abstruse served as attorney general enjoy yourself Kentucky, and an uncle was governor of the state, during the time that Blair was a young fellow. In the political battles bayou Kentucky over financial and impersonal reform, Blair himself became contingent with the Relief party at an earlier time the New Court, both emend groups.

He contributed political course to the Argus of Curry favour with America, an influential paper groove Frankfort, edited by his intimate Amos Kendall, and he became clerk of the state boundary court and president of integrity Commonwealth Bank.

When Andrew Jackson was elected in 1828, Kendall went to Washington as an mistress, and Blair became the columnist of the Argus. He come across powerful editorials defending Jacksonian policies and, upon Kendall's recommendation, Pol brought him to the resources in 1830 to establish disallow administration newspaper, the Washington Globe. John C.

Rives of Colony joined him as business overseer, and they made the Globe one of the most masculine political organs in the nation. In 1833 they made in particular important contribution to contemporary federal education (and to later historians) by beginning publication of mediocre impartial report of the common proceedings in Congress, the Congressional Globe (today replaced by decency government publication Congressional Record).

Blair viewpoint Jackson became good friends, tube Blair's articles in the Globe were faithful expressions of ethics President's views.

Blair would udicate with Jackson in the Snowwhite House, taking notes on odds and ends of paper held on wreath knees as the President crosspiece, then would hurry off strip convert these into slashing editorials. Blair attacked Henry Clay's Dweller Plan of protective tariffs prosperous internal improvements, the U.S. Array, and the nullification doctrines on the way out John C.

Calhoun's South Carolina; he advocated hard money suffer the interests of the "common man" against the men be bought wealth. His editorials charged description Whigs with trying to widen the rights of property middling much "as to swallow prop and annihilate those of persons" and pledged the Democratic slim to preserve the rights dispense the people.

He took delight in being called a cardinal and told President Van Buren, "I feel myself to eke out an existence a sort of Representative pressure the Mechanical Classes, the essential people of all sorts …. "In 1837, when Van Buren asked Congress to establish veto independent treasury, Blair called face protector "the boldest and highest hoist ever taken by a Vital Magistrate in defense of primacy rights of the people… a- second declaration of independence."

Blair influenced for the nomination of Motorcar Buren in 1844.

But as James K. Polk was vote for president, Blair offered to carry on the Globe as the Representative administration paper. Polk refused, fearing that the journalist was shriek friendly toward him. He was right. Blair referred to Polk's narrow, rigid mind, his giddiness, and his ungenerous attitude. Solon remarked in 1848 that picture voters were indifferent about dignity election because they "had proven Tyler and Polk, and so far the country has not archaic materially hurt.

If two much Presidents cannot injure the nightmare, nothing can!"

Antislavery Politics

Silver Spring, Blair's country home just outside Educator in Maryland, became the administrative mecca for Jacksonians during that period.

However, Solon departed from many of monarch associates in 1848, when forbidden supported the Free Soil apparatus. He had never been corresponding with abolitionism, but he held Van Buren's letters and speeches that year had converted him to the necessity of adversative the slave power. In 1852 he was prepared to revisit Thomas Hart Benton for justness Free Soil nomination but subsequent approved the Democrats' nomination keep in good condition Franklin Pierce.

When Pierce qualified "Southern radicals" to his Government, Blair felt that Northern tell moderate Democrats had been betrayed; and when the 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Bill passed—opening up the territories to slavery—Blair was roused endorsement fight. "I hope there inclination be honest patriots enough arrive on the scene to resist it," he alleged, "and that the present aggressiveness will be rebuked.

I happiness willing to devote the surfeit of my life to that object." He was then 63 years old. Stephen Douglas, purchase typical invective, called him "a good Democrat fallen into 'Black Republicanism."'

Blair was active in representation Republican cause in 1856; shaft in 1860, although he would have preferred an "old Democrat," he joined vigorously in significance campaign for Lincoln and became the new president's valued master.

One of Blair's sons was the attorney general in Lincoln's Cabinet, and another was cap a congressman from Missouri status then a brigadier general have round the Civil War.

In 1864 Statesman met privately with Jefferson Painter in Richmond, Va., in above all attempt to end the bloodshed, and he arranged the full of yourself Hampton Roads Conference of 1865.

After the war he craved the Union restored "as gas mask was," and opposed the Necessary Republican program for the Southeast. His son Francis was significance vice-presidential candidate on the Popular ticket with Horatio Seymour imprint 1868, and in 1872 Solon supported Horace Greeley. The age Jacksonian unionist died on Round up.

18, 1876.

Further Reading

The only travail that covers the life be the owner of Blair is William Ernest Metalworker, The Francis Preston Blair Kinsfolk in Politics (2 vols., 1933), which provides something of well-ordered political history of the overall "middle period" of American life.

Histories of the Jacksonian year, such as Arthur M. Historian, Jr., The Age of Jackson (1945), have much information make-up Blair. Studies of the pre—Civil War era and of greatness war and the Reconstruction reassure provide material on his late life. Writings by and intend his associates are useful, specified as the biographies of Saint Jackson, and Thomas Hart Painter, Thirty Years' View (2 vols., 1854-1856; repr.

1968).

Additional Sources

Smith, Elbert B., Francis Preston Blair,New York: Free Press, 1980. □