Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-02
JOHN |. BLAIR DEAD
New Jersey Multi Millionaire Passed
Away Last Night.
he WAS ALMOST A CENTENhRIAN
Had a Remarkably Successful and
SeIf-Made Career.
BUILT MANY RAILROADS
BUILT MANY RAILROADS

BLAIRSTOWN, N. J., December 2.-John
I. Blair, one of the richest men in the
United States, died at his home here last
night after illness of several years. He
was ninety-seven years old.
John |. Blair was born near Belvidere, n.
j., in 1902 Until he was eleven years old
his life that of ordinary farmer $
boy. During that time he attended the
district school in winter and worked on
the farm in summer. His school days end
ed at eleven years. After leaving school
he entered the general store of his cousin
at Hope, n. J. At the age of nineteen he
came to Blairstown, then known as Gravel
Hill, and opened a general store. which he
operated for over forty years, constantly
enlarging his business connections.
His first large speculation the pur-
chase of an apparently valueless cargo of
cotton, on which he realized profit of
$1,000
iron with anthracite coal at Slocum Hollow,
afterward Scranton, Pa, and became in
terested in the Scranton Coal and Iron
Company. 1t was through his financial
backing that this company was enabled to
supply the Erie railroad, then building near
Port Jervis, n. Y, with rails. The com
pany was reorganiZed with Mr.. Blair as
principal owner. 1t obtained charter for
d line from Scranton to Great Bend, called
Leggett's railroad. which to connect
with the Erie railroad. This the real
! beginning OF the Delaware. Lackawanna
and Western railroad. In all the success
| sive stages in the building of the road Mr..
| Blair was the master spirit.
Advance in Iron Made IA Fortune.
Before the war there was little no de-
| mand for iron, but Mr.. Blair's company,
| with wonderful sagacity, went right on
| manufacturing it and piling it up. Sudden
| ly iron rails rose successfully to $50 $50
| and then 500 a ton. Mr.. Blair, in referring
| to II, said: There is no gold mine in the
world that could have yielded money faster
| than our iron works did then"
In 1859 Mr. Blair was in Iowa and eX-
amined the route of railroad which had a
very large land grant. The projectors ap-
| piled to him for forty miles of rails. The
iron company would not furnish them on
the security of the land and bonds. The
| directors thought a scheme to build road
in that remote country utterly visionary,
but Mr.. Blair. with his wonderful foresight,
concluded he would furnish the iron him
self After he had delivered some of It, he
learned that the projectors were issuing
unearned bonds to themselves and were
otherwise defrauding him. Upon threaten
ing to take back his iron they agreed 10
place everything in his hands and to allow
him to build the forty miles of road He
did so. and afterward built more making
40 miles altogether, having in the mean
llIlG IHdue odhtS AHlcS Ills PAL III lllc
undertaking. The road at once did a tre-
mendous business on account of the great
tide of immigration west, which was just
tEen beginning.
This was the first demonstration of the
real scope Of Mr.. Blair's genius for great
enterprises. He next Joined Oakes Ames
and others in getting the charter of the
Union Pacific railroad, and built the first
100 miles westward from Omaha. In rapid
succession after he built an extension of his
Iowa road to Omaha, then the Sioux City
and Pacific, the Iowa Falls and Sioux City,
and other trans Missouri roads, which nave
since consolidated with main lines. His
system was first to construct roads on cash
payments only, then to lease them for 33
or 30 per cent on their earnings and hnaily
to sell them when he could get his price
for them.
Had Marvellous Success.
His success was marvellous, and he leaves
fortune estimated at between s40,0e0,OoO
and s6O,G00,000.
Mr.. Blair was postmaster of Blairstown
for nearly forty years and was president OF
the Belvidere, N J., National Bank almost
since its organizatio in 1890. He the
main stakeholder of the First National Bank
of Cedar Rapids, and a director in the
Scranton Savings Bank. His donations to
churches and institutions of learning were
large. He gave over S1o0,G00 to Princeton
University and 100000 to Lafayette College.
The Blair Presbyterian Academy at Blairs-
town cost at least $100 600. and was donated
by Mr. Blair to the presbytery of Newton.
Provision is made in the endowment Of the
institution for the education of sons and
daughters of ministers of the presbytery
free of charge.
In politics Mr.. Blair was a supporter of
republican principles. He was the candi
date of the republican party for governor
of New Jersey in 1868 He was also del
egate to the national conventions from
1850 to 1896.
Since his eighty-seventh birthday Mr.
Blair did not enter any enterprises,
but, with the help of his private secretary,
DR.. w. H. Vail looked after his numerous
investments.