Blair, Francis Preston, 1791-1878
Francis Preston Blair was born in Abington, Virginia, and spent part of his childhood in Kentucky. In 1811, he graduated from Transylvania University, and 1812, he married Eliza Violet Gist. They had four children. He worked as a circuit court clerk in Franklin County, Kentucky, and edited the local newspaper, The Argus. He moved to Washington after supporting the presidential run of Andrew Jackson, later becoming part of his "Kitchen Cabinet." He published the Washington globe from 1830-1845, and The Congressional Globe until 1849. In 1836, he purchased Blair House, a residence which is still used by the U.S. government to host Heads of State. He enslaved people, and later in life became convinced that slavery should not be spread further, manumitting his remaining enslaved people in 1862, save one, who chose to continue working for him. He was also an advisor to presidents Martin Van Buren, and Abraham Lincoln. He died in Silver Spring, Maryland.