James G. Blaine

**James Gillespie Blaine** (January 31, 1830 – January 27, 1893) was an American politician. He was a U.S. Representative and became Speaker. He was a U.S. Senator from Maine. He was twice the U.S. Secretary of State. He was also nominated as the candidate for U.S. President for the Republican Party.

## Early life

Blaine was born on January 31, 1830 in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He was the third child of Ephraim Lyon Blaine and his wife, Maria Gillespie Blaine. He was educated at Washington College and later met his wife, Harriet Stanwood. They married in 1850 and had seven children.

## Career

He was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1869 to 1875. He was chosen by the 18th President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant.

Blaine served as a U.S. Senator from Maine from 1876 to 1881. Then, he served as a U.S. Representative from Maine's 3rd district from 1863 to 1876. Next, he was the 28th and 31st U.S. Secretary of State from 1881 to 1881 and then again from 1889 to 1892.

On July 2, 1881, Blaine and President James A. Garfield were walking in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C. when Charles J. Guiteau shot Garfield in the back. Blaine resigned as Secretary of State several months later.

The Republican Party nominated Blaine for President in 1884, but the Democratic Party's candidate, Grover Cleveland, won the election.

## Death

Blaine died on January 27, 1893, just four days before what would have been his 63rd birthday, in his Washington, D.C., home from a heart attack, aged 62. He was later buried at Oak Hill Cemetery, in Washington, D.C., and was later reburied in Blaine Memorial Park, Augusta, Maine, in 1920. Blaine was a hypochondriac.

## Other websites

- "James G. Blaine, Presidential Contender"  from C-SPAN's _The Contenders_

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: James G. Blaine
- **image**: James G. Blaine_-_Brady-Handy.jpg
- **imagesize**: 200px
- **order1**: 28th & 31st
- **office1**: United States Secretary of State
- **term start1**: March 9, 1889
- **term end1**: June 4, 1892
- **president1**: Benjamin Harrison
- **predecessor1**: Thomas F. Bayard
- **successor1**: John W. Foster
- **order4**: 31st
- **office4**: Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
- **term start4**: March 4, 1869
- **term end4**: March 4, 1875
- **predecessor4**: Theodore Pomeroy
- **successor4**: Michael C. Kerr
- **term start2**: March 7, 1881
- **term end2**: December 19, 1881
- **predecessor2**: William M. Evarts
- **successor2**: Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, Frederick T. Frelinghuysen
- **order3**: United States Senate, United States Senator
 from Maine
- **term start3**: July 10, 1876
- **term end3**: March 5, 1881
- **predecessor3**: Lot M. Morrill
- **successor3**: William P. Frye
- **order5**: Member of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives
 from Maine's Maine's 3rd congressional district, 3rd district
- **term start5**: March 4, 1863
- **term end5**: March 3, 1876
- **predecessor5**: Samuel C. Fessenden
- **successor5**: Edwin Flye
- **birth name**: James Gillespie Blaine
- **birth date**: January 31, 1830
- **birth place**: West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
- **death place**: Washington, D.C.
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican
- **spouse**: Harriet Stanwood Blaine
- **children**: Stanwood Blaine, Walker Blaine, Emmons Blaine, Alice Blaine Coppinger, James Blaine Jr, Margaret Blaine Damrosch, Harriet Blaine Beale
- **alma mater**: Washington & Jefferson College, Washington College
- **profession**: Law, Politics
- **signature**: Appletons' Blaine James Gillespie signature.jpg