Montgomery Blair
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Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813–July 27, 1883), son of Francis Preston Blair and elder brother of Francis Preston Blair, Jr., was an American politician and lawyer.
Blair was born in Franklin County, Kentucky. He graduated from West Point in 1835, but, after a year's service in the Seminole War, left the army, studied law, and began practice at St Louis, Missouri. After serving as United States district attorney (1839–1843), as mayor of St Louis (1842-1843), and as judge of the court of common pleas (1843-1849), he moved to Maryland (1852), and devoted himself to law practice principally in the Federal Supreme Court. He was United States Solicitor in the Court of Claims from 1855 until 1858, and was associated with George T. Curtis as counsel for the plaintiff in the Dred Scott case in 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, on the 27th of July 1883.
Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland is named for him.
[1] (http://www.pgdp.net/c/tools/project_manager/page_detail.php?project=projectID3eec8bccd1240&show_images=0)
| Preceded by: Horatio King | Postmaster General | Succeeded by: William Dennison |