The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-27 00:00:00

GENERAL FRANK BLAIR.

The New York Evening Post gives the following
account of the Democratic candidate for Vice-Pre-
sident :—" Francis Preston Blair, jun., has been a
resident of St. Louis, since the year 1841. He
was born in Lexington, Kentucky, Feb. 21, 1821,
and at the age of 20 was graduated at Princeton,
New York. His brother, Montgomery Blair, was
then a resident of St. Louis, and on his arrival in
this city Frank Blair began the practice of law in
partnership with his brother. Their old office on
the corner of Third and Chestnut-streets is well re-
membered. Frank has been an inveterate office-
seeker since 1852, when he was first elected to the
Legislature on the Benton ticket. He was re-elected
in 1851, although on the same occasion Colonel
Benton himself was defeated for Congress. In
1856 Blair was elected to Congress as a Benton
freesoiler, but in 1858 he was defeated by J. R.
Barrett. He contested Barrett's seat, and the
House of Representatives ordered a new
election, which took place in August, 1860.
Blair and Barrett were both candidates for the
long and short term, and both were elected—Blair
for the long and Barrett for the short term. Blair
ran again in 1862, and was returned as elected, but
Samuel Knox, the Radical candidate, successfully
contested the election, and Blair was ousted. In
1866 Blair was the Conservative candidate for the
Legislature, and was defeated by the Radical. He
was to have been the candidate of the party for
United States Senator had the Conservatives carried
the Legislature that year, but as they did not, he
remained in the background, and allowed his hench-
man, Samuel T. Glover, to receive the complimen-
tary vote. This was his last effort until now. It
is believed that if he is defeated in November, and
his party have the next Missouri Legislature, he
will turn up as a Senatorial candidate. Hie modesty
in asking office will never ruin hire. General
Blair about the year 1845 married Miss Alexander,
of Kentucky, who is still living. They now have
seven children. the oldest of whom, Andrew, is a
cadet in the United States Naval Academy at An-
napolis, Maryland. General Blair resides at No.
1,129, Washington-avenue, but is building a fine
residence on the corner of Chestnut-street and
Leilingwell-avenue. He is entered in the direc-
tory as president of the Firemen's Insurance Com-
pany,' but this is said to be an imposition—the
company being a fraudulent concern, and Blair
having been inveigled into it without knowing its
true character. Among Blair's relations in this
State two of his cousins represent extremes in
politics. One is B. Gratz Brown, late United States
Senator and a Radical, and the other the fa no us
rebel horseman, General Joe Kirby, a Conserva-
tive. Gcneral Blair weighs about 1551b5., and
stands about 5 feet 7 inches in his stockings. His
walk is free and swinging, and his speech a mixture
of the Southern dialect with the enunciation of
Princeton. It was once described by the Cincinatti
commercial as the Anglo-African.' His 'mus-
t wile, hair, and complexion are all sandy, his eyes
are small, greyish in colour, and twinkling ; his
forehead is high and rather commanding. He is
easily approached and affable in his conversation.
He is not a rigid devotee of temperance principles,
and can probably mingle in the social circle as com-
fortably as a majority of men of his strength. Ile
is possessed of some property, but not nearly so
much as before the war. His private business is
not closely attended to, and he is never likely to
accumulate large wealth. While practising law
he bought land in St. Louis, bnt has sold. most
Of it."