The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-04
JOHN |. BLAIR DEAD.
Story of the Wonderful Career of One
of the Most Marvellous Men
of His Time.

John /. Blair died at Blairstown, N.
j., Saturday morning at o'clock. So
often has a sketch of this remarkable
man been printed during late years
that every newspaper reader is more
or less familiar with his marvellous ca
reer
He lived nearly ninety eight years.
he began life poor boy and died worth
S6O,OOO,000; during his life time he
owned at one time or another $500 600
acres of land, he founded eighty towns,
built or help to build about twenty rail-
roads and contributed the bulk of the
money that went to the erection of
eighty different churches, besides en-
oowing a college, making liberal con-
tributions to other institutions of learn
ang and giving to his church, the Pres
byterian, as a whole, not less than
100000.
Deceased was a brother of the late
James Blair of this city.
John Inslee Blair acquired his wealth
by his own efforts and aided many
others to build fortunes on the same
foundation. The founder of the family
IN thls country was John Blair, who
settled in New Jersey in 1920. This
John Blair was a cousin of the great
grandfather of John Inslee Blair.
John Inslee Blair was born Aug. %,
lSO2. In the winter months he went
TO nearby country schools and in the
summer time he worked on the farm.
he began to accumulate money when
a BOY. He was fond of telling in after
years how he earned his first money
Catching muskrats in Beaver Creek
and selling their skins. At the age %
ten ne went to work as a clerk In .
country store kept by a cousin. At
fourteen he was considered an excel
lent storekeeper and at seventeen he
started in business for himself at
Blairstown his cousin furnishing half
his capital The whole capital of his
business was $500 at the start.
He married daughter of CAPTAIN
John Lock, a soldier in the Revolu-
tionary war, who was killed in the
War of 1872. Mrs. Blair lived until
1888, when she died at the age of eigh-
ty-four.
In 1S46 Mr.. Blair Joined George w.
and Joseph Scranton in developing
thelr iron business at what was then
Slocum, Pa. Among the other men
who later became associated with him
in business We're Moses Taylor, WILL
lam E. Dodge, Gardner Colby, Israel
ID. Condit Christopher Robert, Mar
shall .. Roberts, Robert c. Winthrop
Samuel Sloan, s. b. Chittenden, Oliver
+. Morton, c. n. Bliss, G. II. McCor-
| mick, Charles Scribner, Cakes Ames,
OllVer Ames, John b. Alley, Joseph
Nickerson, f. T. Glidden, S. L. Thorn
| dyke and ]. NJ. S. Williams.
Mr.. Blair took up the building Of
railroads to furnish means of get
ting Scrantons products to the chief
| markets of the country. He and his
| associates first bought a railroad
which ran from Oswego to Ithaca,
which in 1S49 they extended and re-
built. In 1851 they built the Leggets
Gap road from Scranton TO Great
Bend, and in 1852 the Delaware Lack
awanna and Western railroad was or
ganized. Mr.. Blair always retained his
interest in that road, and was one OF
its largest stockholders.
He was in politics originally a mem
Der of the old Whig party, but became
a Republican when that party was
born, and was a delegate from New
Jersey to many Republican national
| conventions. Only once was he a cam
didate for elective office. In 1868 he
ran for governor against Theodore
Randolph, spending $50, 900 in his cam
paign. In spite of his personal popu-
larity he was beaten.
His gifts to churches and institutions
of learning were large. He gave more
than $150,0OO to Princeton university.
and 100000 to Lafayette college. The
Blair Presbyterian academy at Blairs-
town cost at least $l00, 900 and WAS
given by Mr.. Blair to the Presbyterv
of Newton. His fortune is estima red
at from $40,OOO000 to $50, 900 600 A
daughter of Mr.. Blair's was the wife
of the late Charles Scribner, whose
two sons, Charles Scrbner and Ar
thur H. Scribner, constitute the firm
OF Charles Scribner's Sons, the pub
fishers.
The funeral will take place Tues
| day at Blairstown.