Henry W. Blair

Henry W. Blair

Henry William Blair (born December 6, 1834 in Campton , Grafton County , New Hampshire , † March 14, 1920 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ). He represented the state of New Hampshire in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate .

Career

Blair attended community schools and private academies, studied law, and was eventually admitted to the bar in 1859. He then started to practice in Plymouth . The following year (1860) he was appointed Grafton County District Attorney. He also served in the United States Army as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 15th Regiment of the New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War .

Blair decided to embark on a political career in 1866 when he ran for a seat in the House of Representatives from New Hampshire after the war and worked there for a year after a successful election. During this time he was elected to the New Hampshire Senate, where he remained from 1867 to 1868. A few years later he was elected to the 44th and 45th US Congresses . He worked there from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1879. During this time, he submitted the first prohibition amendment to Congress in 1876 that was ever presented there. He decided not to run for re-election in 1878, but was elected to the US Senate on June 17, 1879 to fill a vacancy there. With his election he replaced Charles Henry Bell , who held the office only temporarily. Blair officially held the office of Senator (Class 3) from June 20, 1879 to March 3, 1885. Due to the fact that his successor did not take up his position on March 4, 1885 and the State Legislature was outside its session, he was appointed to the US Senate on March 5, 1885 for a further term. He was then officially elected to the US Senate on June 17, 1885. His second term ran from March 10, 1885 to March 3, 1891. Blair ran unsuccessfully for re-election in 1891. During his tenure in the US Senate, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor (from the 47th to the 51st US Congress ).

During the tenure of US President Benjamin Harrison , Blair declined to be appointed judge in the District Court for the District of New Hampshire . However, on March 6, 1891, he accepted an appointment as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in China . However, a short time later he was appointed persona non grata by the Chinese government , which led to his departure on October 6, 1891. On his return to the United States he was later elected to the US House of Representatives, where he served from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1895. He decided not to run for re-election in 1894. He then worked as a lawyer in a Washington practice until his death in 1920. He was then buried in Campton Cemetery .

Web links

• Henry W. Blair in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Henry W. Blair in the database of Find a Grave (English)