The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-08-06
NO. 10
Hon. Frank Simpson Blair


Who was renominated by the recent Re-
publican Convention for the Office of At
torney-General of Virginia. is the son Of
the.late Hon John Blair. of Tennessee, who
represented the Upper Tennessee district.
adjoining Virginia, in the Congress of the
United States for period of fourteen con-
secutlye years, at the time when Clay,
Webster, Calhoun, Benton, Foote, and
other distinguished men were bright lumi-
naries in the National Legislature. The
BlalrS originally were from Pittsylvania
county, Virginia, whence they removed to
Eastern Tennessee and settled there. His
father was man ofstrong, hard sense, and
and possessed the respect and esteem of
his constituents at home, whom he served
so long, as we'll as the confidence of his fell
ioW-members OF Congress, as appears from
his service upon the important committees
OF which he was a member during his
terms in Congress.
Frank Blair was born in the year 1843.
When a boy he attended the primary
schools in his native State, and then attend
ed for five years the Washington College
J IN Tennessee and Emory and Henry Col
| lege in Virginia, the latter under the pres
ldency of his brother-in-law, Rev. DIR.
David Sulllns. and graduated at the Ten
nessee University at Knoxville. At the
commencement of the war he was reading
law under the guidance of his father, but
like many of our Southern boys, under the
inspiration Of the coming conflict, he threw
aside his law-books, and entered the Con-
federate army as private in June, 1861,
being the youngest member of his COM
pany. He was attached to General ZOlli-
golfers brigade, and was with him in Ken
lucky when that officer was killed. He
participated in the battle of Shiloh, and
was present in nearly all Of the battles of
the Western army. He was promoted to
the captaincy of his company and fought
in all the battles around Vicksburg, at the
surrender of which city he was finally cap
tured and sent as a prisoner of war to
JOhnston's Island, where he was incarce-
rated for about eight months. During his
imprisonment he obtained elementary law
books and employed his time in reading
law.
After he was released and the war was
over, for short time he taught school.
and finally settled in Wytheville in 1865
and commenced the practice of the law.
He formed a partnership with Robert
Crockett, ESQ.,, and the firm soon obtain
ed large and lucrative practice, and rank
ed among the leading lawyers of the bar of
Southwest Virginia. Captain Blair's TO-
renSic talent and eloquence soon gained
largely engaged in defending persons
charged with crime in the Southwest, and
his name frequently appears as counsel in
Grattan'S reports of cases decided by
the Supreme Court of Appeals.
1t is hardly necessary to state, for it is
known of all men, that during the last four
years he has filled the office of Attorney
General of Virginia with fidelity to her
true interests and gained enlarged repu-
tation. In the courts of the State and in
the courts of the United States, as counsel
for the Commonwealth, he has met in legal
discussion the ablest lawyers of the conn
try, and has shown himself to be the
peer of the best. He has an acute, dis
legal mind he has a strong,
vigorous physical constitution that sue
cumbS to no amount of labor and is uncOn-
scious of fatigue. He knows how to avail
himself of all the requisite help to legal
learning IN the preparation of his cases,
and his untiring energy and industry en-
abled him to perform more legal work i'll
a given time than can usually be done.
These qualities have enabled him to dis
charge the vast demands of his office. in
for the many causes which he
has had to argue before all the courts of
the country in all parts of the State and in
Washington. Besides his oral arguments,
which he delivers when necessary, his
briefs in his cases, if collected into vol
ume, would make a book of several thous-
and pages-flled with the enunciation of
legal principles, sustained by the citation
of appropriate authorities.
Captain Blair separated from the Con
sentative party in 1879, and was one of the
leaders in the celebrated Mozart Conven-
tion, where the Readjuster party was orig
mated, and which is now the Republican
party of Virginia. Since that time he has
the State the interest of his
party. and his eloquent voice has been
heard in its clear, ringing tones in almost
every county of the State, warning his
hearers of the evils of Bourbon misrule,
and exhorting them to put faith in the men
and measures whom Virginians ought to
trust ard believe.
Notwithstanding he has been vilified.
and abused by his political
enemies and Notwithstanding even that
the last Democratic Legislature attempt
sd to get up charges against him with a
view to his impeachment, in all of which
they signally failed lalthough they gave
evidence of their animOSity and hatred of
him), his Republican friends have testified
to his fidelity and ability, and have an
nounced their renewed confidence in him
by renominating him unanimously, in Con-
assembled, to the high Office which
he has so ably filled for the last four years.
With such men as Wise, Wood, and
Blair for our standard-bearers, we must
surely win.-Whig.