The 39 Days of the Brave: John Blair, Jr. - Day 35

[Debbie G]

Constitution Signer

John Blair, Jr.

1731-1800

 

John Blair, Jr. was instrumental in bringing about the independence of our nation through the judicial system. Born in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1731, Blair was a member of a prominent Virginia family. His father, John Blair, Sr. served as the Royal Governor and his grand-uncle was the founder of the College of William and Mary where Blair received his A.B. in 1754. Blair was elected to the College of William and Mary’s House of Burgesses from 1766 -1770.

 Perhaps in line with his gentle and benevolent nature, Blair originally joined the moderate wing of the Patriot cause. However, after the dissolution of the House of Burgesses by Parliament, he radically altered his viewpoint.  After a series of Parliamentary taxes on the colonies, Blair joined George Washington and others in drafting the non-importation agreements which pledged supporters would cease importing British goods until the taxes were repealed. In reaction to Parliament’s “Intolerable Acts”, Blair joined those calling for a Continental Congress.

When the Revolution began, Blair became deeply involved in the government of his state, not as a politician, but behind the scenes as a legal scholar. His reputation for being able to quickly get to the heart of a legal matter led to his serving as a member of the convention that drew up Virginia's Constitution and Declaration of Rights, as well as Chief Justice and a seat on Virginias high court of chancery These judicial appointments automatically made Blair a member of Virginia's first court of appeals.

            Blair signed the Constitution as a member of the Virginia delegation which included fellow Virginians, George Washington and James Madison. Blair initially opposed Washington and Madison on how the President would be elected by advocating election by Congress. This split the Virginia delegation and threatened to impede the progress of the Convention; therefore Blair eventually succumbed and supported Washington and Madison for the remainder of the Convention.

On September 24, 1789, Blair was nominated by President George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States. Blair resigned in 1795, and died in Williamsburg, five years later at 68 years of age.

Blair Street in Madison, Wisconsin is named in his honor.

Sources:

John Blair. (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2011, from http://www.history.army.mil/books/RevWar/ss/blair.htm.

Marshall, J. V. (1856). The United States Manual of Biography and History. Philadelphia: James B.Smith & Co.

John Blair, Jr.. (2011, August 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 16:22, September 4, 2011, from   HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Blair,_Jr.&oldid=447561977"  http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Blair,_Jr.&oldid...

[Debbie G]

Just an FYI to all the great patriots reading "The 39 Days of the Brave" series; I am just posting the information, the FCTP Education Team put all this together with help from the FCTP Research Team.  These individuals deserve a hearty hand of applause for their work.

[John Ray]

I really like these at the end of the day.

[Joanna B McDermott]

These are awesome.....great idea.  It makes them more real.