Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-14
DEATH CLAIMS MRS.
ELIZABETH BLAIR LEE

of unimproved 14th street, were in con-
slant state of Indignation. Begging from
everybody and hold ng fairs, these women
fed and clothed their orphans. The lease
to the State Department, continued by Mr..
Fish, gave great help, and finally gifts of
land and money from philanthropic citizens
provided a sufficient endowment Now
there is an average of 100 children, but
during the war there were more for war
makes orphans. All the many applications
for help and people to whom children are
bound out are heard by the ladies' board
and the entire management is in its
hands. Mrs Lee presided during these
years with such sympathy for mothers CIV
ing up children and insight to protect the
institution and it's wards that her associates
both loved and admired her as the en-
bodiment of tenderness and tact. Her du-
ties as first directories have been ably dis
charged by Others but she has been, though
absent regularly elected for eight years
a tribute to her devotion.
She was also prominent in social and
historical. organizations having been the
ington Club and regent of the Mary Wash
ington Chapter of the D. A. r.
Her Marriage in 1874.
Mrs. Lee was married to Lieut.. Samuel
Phillips Lee of the navy in 1914, and, be-
ing her fathers only daughter, and her hus-
band a sailor, she spent most of her time
with her parents at Silver Spring. About
1860 her father, who owned the southern
half of the block on Pennsylvania avenue
north of the War Department, built Mrs.
Lee a house next to his old house, which
he gave to his eldest son. Montgomery
Blair, and thereafter Mr.. and Mrs Blair,
ST., spent the winters with their daughter
in the town house he gave her, which they
continued to do up to the end of their lives
in 1877. Lieut.. Lee. afterward Rear Ad-
miral Lee. retired from the navy in 1873
ceeding Mr.. Blair, ST. Mr.. and Mrs. Blair
and Admiral and Mrs. Lee all lived to be
eighty-five years Of age, and Mrs. Lee ex-
ceeded the others by several years, being in
her eighty-ninth year.
Among Mrs. Lees possessions is the
original portrait of Andrew Jackson by
Sully. painted when jackson was in the
United States Senate. Mrs. jackson
made of her husband. Admiral Lee bought
it from Sully and presented it to his wife
by reason of her affection for General
jackson. A subsequent edition hangs in
the Corccran Art Gallery. George w.
Childs, when a young reporter. went to
Silver Spring and borrowed Mrs. Lees
portrait of Jackson and had it engraved
and it thus became known as a standard.
picture of him. Her own portrait was
painted by Sully when she was nineteen
years of age, who she said, idealized 1t by
making her look like her beautiful mother.
she would never have another taken, not
even photograph, and in answer to urg-
ing, she repeatedly said Nobody cares to
look at the picture of an old woman, not
even the old woman herself"
.4 Native of Kentucky.
Mrs Lee was born at Frankfort KY,
June 90, 1918, and came to Washington as
a child. with her father. Francis p. Blair,
ST., editor of Andrew Jacksons political
organ The Globe She had much of her
fathers and mothers talent and sympathy.
and soon became a great favorite of Old
Hickory She was ard elicate IN !, AMI Gen.
eral Jackson had her live at the White
House one winter and until the cellar of
the newly acquired Blair house could be
drained This intimacy with the old
general gave her the greatest re-
spect for his character. and above
all for his tenderness and Difference
toward women She copied many papers
for him and always said that the spelling
was remarkably bad. but the force ana
clearness were all that could have been
expected from man of his vigorous mind
and decisive nature. She often quoted her
fathers opinion that General Jackson's
original of the message to Congress on the
bank question, withdrawing the deposits,
was by far stronger document than the
message which Mr.. Livingston, with more
polish and literary elegance, constructed
from the original. She was thus brought
up in caucus" as her father put it. and
learned to weigh political opinions and to
keep political secrets.
Gen. Jackson's Habit.
1t was a habit of General Jackson to
smoke corncob pipe. and he had a. new
one every day, this being one of his fixed
ways just as he preferred white horses to
all others for carriage horses, because he
could easily see that they had been prop
erly cleaned. To fill the old generals
corncob pipe and sit near during an even
ing discussion between him and her father
was one of the privileges of this bright
and sympathetic child, and she has al
ways been emphatic in saying that she
General Jackson's lips and never heard him
use the expression so commonly attributed
to him. by the eternal
Gen. Jackson was devoted to thorough
bred herses, and had number of them in
Tennessee. Mrs. Lee remembered an incl
dent which took place when the race track
was located in that part of Washington
now known as Mount Pleasant An inter-
esting race was to be run, and, while Gen.
jackson did not think that he. as President,
should go to the races. ne could not resist
In the course of a ride arriving in time to
see this particular race over the fence from
the back of his riding horse. Mrs. Lee was
in his party, and when the race was in full
course and came past where they were
waiting the horse that Gen. Jackson was
interested in was in danger of being beaten.
The general was at once aroused and,
leaning over the fence, shouted to the
jockey "Give him the persuaders." mean
ing Wh{D and SnlIr with tho roSult thot