Montgomery Blair

Montgomery Blair
20th United States Postmaster General
In office March 5, 1861 – September 24, 1864
Preceded by	Horatio King
Succeeded by	William Dennison, Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1813-05-10)May 10, 1813 Franklin County, Kentucky
Died	Silver Spring, Maryland, US
Political party	Republican, Democratic
Spouse(s)	Mary Elizabeth Woodbury Blair
Children	Woodbury Blair, Gist Blair, Montgomery Blair Jr., Minnie Blair
Alma mater	United States Military Academy
Profession	Lawyer, Politician
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1835 - 1836
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Seminole War

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. Despite belonging to a prominent slave-holding family, Blair was an abolitionist and a loyal member of the Cabinet of Abraham Lincoln as Postmaster-General during the American Civil War.

Early life and education

Blair was born in Franklin County, Kentucky. His father, Francis P. Blair, Sr., was, as editor of the Washington Globe, a prominent figure in the Democratic Party during the Jacksonian era, and as a boy Montgomery "often listened to the talk of his father and Andrew Jackson." Blair 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, in 1839. 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. Sandford case of 1857.

First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln by Francis Bicknell Carpenter
(People in the image are clickable.)

Career

The Blairs, like many other nationalist Democrats, but unusually for politicians from the border states, had abandoned the Democratic Party in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and had been among the founding leaders of the new Republican Party. After switching political parties, President Buchanan removed Blair from his position of United States Solicitor in 1858. In 1860, Montgomery Blair took an active part in the presidential campaign on behalf of Abraham Lincoln. After his election, Lincoln invited Blair to be part of his cabinet as Postmaster-General in 1861. Lincoln expected Blair, who advocated taking a firm stance with the southern states, to help balance more conciliatory members of his cabinet. While Postmaster-General, Blair instituted a uniform rate of postage and free delivery in cities. Blair also began the sale of money orders by post offices in order to reduce the mailing of currency, reducing post office robberies. Blair served as Postmaster-General from 1861 until September 1864, when Lincoln accepted an earlier offer by Blair to resign. Lincoln's action may have been a response to 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. Regarding Lincoln's action, Blair told his wife that the president had acted "from the best motives" and that "it is for the best all around." After he left the cabinet, Blair still campaigned for Lincoln's re-election and Lincoln and the Blair family retained close ties.

Under Blair's 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.

In 1876, Blair was counsel to Secretary of War William W. Belknap during the House of Representatives investigation into the Trader post scandal. Blair unsuccessfully requested the House Investigation Committee chaired by Hiester Clymer that charges against Belknap be dropped if Belknap would resign office. Clymer, however, declined Blair's offer. Belknap was impeached by the House of Representatives for receiving illicit payments from the Fort Sill traderpost on Western frontier while Secretary of War. Belknap had been given sole power by Congress to choose sutlers to operated lucrative traderposts that sold supplies to U.S. soldiers and Indians. Belknap resigned over the scandal and was acquitted in a Senate trial during the summer of 1876. Many senators did not believe that Congress could convict a private citizen, although the Senate passed a resolution that stated Congress could convict a private citizen.

Blair unsuccessfully ran for Congress to represent Maryland's sixth district in 1882.

Later life and death

The Montgomery Blair mausoleum in Rock Creek Cemetery.

His 600-acre (2.4 km²) manor in present-day Silver Spring, Maryland was named Falkland. It was burned by Confederate troops during their thrust towards Washington, D.C. After several years afflicted with "inflammation of the spinal membranes," he died at Silver Spring on July 27, 1883. The funeral services were held at Rock Creek Church, and he was buried at Rock Creek Cemetery. In memory of Blair, the United States Post Office closed on July 30, 1883.

Personal life

Blair's wife was Mary Woodbury, a daughter of Levi Woodbury. Together, they had one daughter, Minnie Blair. They had three sons, Woodbury Blair, Gist Blair, and Montgomery Blair Jr., all of whom were attorneys.

Montgomery Blair and Mary Woodbury Blair were the great-grandparents of actor Montgomery Clift.

In popular culture

• Blair is portrayed by actor Lew Temple in the 2012 film Saving Lincoln.
• In the 2012 film, Lincoln, Blair is portrayed by actor Byron Jennings. In the film, Blair is depicted as not being in favor of the 13th Amendment, referring to it as "rash and dangerous" and telling Lincoln that conservative Republicans will only vote for it "if every other possibility is exhausted." Later in the film, he urges Lincoln not to pursue the effort at the amendment's passage.

Works

• Speech on the Causes of the Rebellion (1864)

Legacy

Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland is named after Blair.

Gallery

• PG-MBlair-Postbellum.jpg

  Montgomery Blair in his postbellum.

• 

  Lincoln met with his Cabinet for the first reading of the Emancipation Proclamation draft on July 22, 1862.

Publications

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

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: 
• Goodwin, D. K. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN 1-4165-4983-8 (electronic edition).

External links

• Biography
• Mr. Lincoln and Friends: Montgomery Blair
• Mr. Lincoln and Freedom: Montgomery Blair
• Mr. Lincoln's White House: Montgomery Blair
• Montgomery Blair at Find a Grave

Political offices
Preceded by Horatio King	United States Postmaster General Served under: Abraham Lincoln 1861 – 1864	Succeeded by William Dennison, Jr.