MONTGOMERY BLAIR

'Montgomery Blair' (May 10, 1813 – July 27, 1883), the son of Francis Preston Blair, elder brother of Francis Preston Blair, Jr. and cousin of B. Gratz Brown, was a politician and lawyer from Maryland. He was a member of the Cabinet of Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.

Contents

Life

Works

Honors

Publications

References

External links

Life

Blair was born in Franklin County, Kentucky. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1835, but after a year's service in the Seminole War, he left the Army, studied law, and began practice at St Louis, Missouri. After serving as United States district attorney (1839–43) and as judge of the court of common pleas (1834–1849), he moved to Maryland in 1852 and devoted himself to law practice principally in the United States Supreme Court. He was United States Solicitor in the Court of Claims (1855–58) and was associated with George T. Curtis as counsel for the plaintiff in the ''Dred Scott v. Sanford'' case of 1857.
In 1860 he took an active part in the presidential campaign in behalf of Abraham Lincoln, in whose cabinet he was Postmaster-General from 1861 until September 1864, when he resigned as a result of the hostility of the Radical Republican faction, who stipulated that Blair's retirement should follow the withdrawal of John C. Frémont's name as a candidate for the presidential nomination in that year. Under his administration, such reforms and improvements as the establishment of free city delivery, the adoption of a money order system, and the use of railway mail cars were instituted — the last having been suggested by George B. Armstrong (d. 1871), of Chicago, who from 1869 until his death was general superintendent of the United States railway mail service.
Differing from the Republican Party on the Reconstruction policy, Blair gave his adherence to the Democratic Party after the Civil War, along with his brother, who was the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1868.
His manor in present-day Silver Spring, Maryland was named Falkland. It was burned by Confederate troops during the War. He died at Silver Spring.
Montgomery Blair's wife was Mary Woodbury, a daughter of Levi Woodbury. Together, they were the great-grandparents of actor Montgomery Clift.

Works

★ ''Speech on the Causes of the Rebellion'' (1864)

Honors

Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Publications

★ Croly, ''Seymour and Blair: Their Lives and Services'' (1868)

References

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External links

★ Biography

★ Mr. Lincoln and Friends: Montgomery Blair

★ Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Montgomery Blair

★ Mr. Lincoln's White House: Montgomery Blair