James Blair (South Carolina)
Encyclopedia
James Blair was a United States Representative from South Carolina
. He was born in the Waxhaw settlement, Lancaster County, South Carolina to Sarah Douglass and William Blair. He engaged in planting and was also the sheriff
of Lancaster District.
Blair was elected as a Republican to the Seventeenth Congress and served from March 4, 1821, to May 8, 1822, when he resigned. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first through Twenty-third Congresses and served from March 4, 1829, until his death in Washington, D.C.
, on April 1, 1834.
Under date of December 24, 1833, John Quincy Adams
records in his diary that Blair "had knocked down and very severely beaten Duff Green
, editor of the Telegraph..." Diary (New York, Longmans, Green, 1929) p. 434. He paid "three hundred dollars fine for beating and breaking the bones" of Green. op. cit., p. 450.
Under date of April 2, 1834, John Quincy Adams
records in his diary that Blair "shot himself last evening at his lodgings ... after reading part of an affectionate letter from his wife, to Governor Murphy
, of Alabama who was alone in the chamber with him, and a fellow-lodger at the same house." op. cit. p. 434.
He was buried in Congressional Cemetery
; his tombstone inscription includes his command as General of the South Carolina 5th Militia Brigade.
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. He was born in the Waxhaw settlement, Lancaster County, South Carolina to Sarah Douglass and William Blair. He engaged in planting and was also the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Lancaster District.
Blair was elected as a Republican to the Seventeenth Congress and served from March 4, 1821, to May 8, 1822, when he resigned. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first through Twenty-third Congresses and served from March 4, 1829, until his death in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, on April 1, 1834.
Under date of December 24, 1833, John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
records in his diary that Blair "had knocked down and very severely beaten Duff Green
Duff Green
Duff Green , American politician and journalist, was born in Woodford County, Kentucky.He was a school teacher in his native state, served during the War of 1812 in the Kentucky militia, and then settled in Missouri, where he worked as a schoolmaster and practiced law...
, editor of the Telegraph..." Diary (New York, Longmans, Green, 1929) p. 434. He paid "three hundred dollars fine for beating and breaking the bones" of Green. op. cit., p. 450.
Under date of April 2, 1834, John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
records in his diary that Blair "shot himself last evening at his lodgings ... after reading part of an affectionate letter from his wife, to Governor Murphy
John Murphy (Alabama)
John Murphy was the fourth Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama, serving two terms from 1825 to 1829. Born in 1786 in Columbia, North Carolina, he also represented Alabama in the United States House of Representatives from 1833 to 1835.Under date of April 2, 1834, John Quincy Adams records in his...
, of Alabama who was alone in the chamber with him, and a fellow-lodger at the same house." op. cit. p. 434.
He was buried in Congressional Cemetery
Congressional Cemetery
The Congressional Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the final resting place of thousands of individuals who helped form the nation and the city of Washington in the early 19th century. Many members of...
; his tombstone inscription includes his command as General of the South Carolina 5th Militia Brigade.