Meet President John Blair
Meet President John Blair Sr (c. 1687 – November 5, 1771) He will be running things in Virginia for the next 6 months. Lt Gov Dinwiddie left for England 12 Jan 1758. Lt Gov Fauquier won't arrive until 5 June 1758. After this stint as acting Governor, John Blair took over duties of the Governor 3 more times.
You can see the term President was in use for quite some time before it meant something else later. The term President was also used for the presiding head officer in a court martial or in a court of enquiry.
Line of Succession
John Blair was the most senior member of the Governor's Council and therefore its President and next in line to run the colony if Governor and Lt Governor were absent.
Lord Loudoun was still the Governor to 1759 even though he was relieved of his overall military command of North America. He never set foot in Virginia.
You will see many letters between John Blair Sr and Colonel George Washington for the next 6 months.
The Council had 3 functions.
It advised the Governor. it was the upper house to the House of Burgesses. Both houses had to pass a law. And finally it was the colony's court of last resort, a sort of Supreme Court. Any appeal beyond that had to go to London.
Citizen of an Empire
In that last term in 1768 as acting governor he made 2 contrasting actions. One was to fund and help the victims of a burned down Montreal Convent. That would prove he felt to be linked to them as a fellow citizen of the Empire. At the same time he also disagrees with Parliament's right to tax the colony. See more on that below.
To read more of who John Blair was see biography.
For now we head directly to his man's letter of 25 Jan 1758 to Colonel George Washington who is still dealing with dysentery.
The Indians are Coming !
John Blair informs Col George Washington that 700 to 800 Indians are coming. The number ends up being under 600. They are the Cherokee allies coming to help. They might to first to Clement Read in Lunenburg or head straight first to Augusta's Courthouse and thence to Fort Loudoun Winchester VA.
You might remember an earlier story on Clement Read and how he was horrified last year in March 1757 by their visit. See that story here.
And Adkin, now absent for some time, says he left enough funds with Christopher Gist to give presents and supplies to these Indian Allies.
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To George Washington
from John Blair,
25 January 1758
From John Blair WmsBurg Jany 25. 1758.
Sir, We had a council here yesterday
in which was considered a letter
from Col. Clement Read of Lunenburg,
advising his intelligence from an Indian Harbinger,
that a large body of Indians to the number of 7 or 800,
were on their march 5 days behind him to our assistance,
and would take his house in their way to Fort Loudoun,
notwithstanding the directions given by Col. Atkins
for another route thro’ Augusta.
The Council do not suppose their number can be so large
as Col. Atkins had directed their coming in small parties;
but whatever number com⟨es⟩ to you,
we hope you will be able to employ them in small parties,
as may be judged by you most beneficial.1
I understood by the Govr,
who sailed the 12th inst.
that there was I think £1000 worth of Indian Goods for presents
left with Mr Gist who had directions from Col. Atkins
for the proper disposal of them.2
I hope you will do all in your power for having it conducted in the best manner. I take the opportunity of Mr Binn Clark of Loudon to give you this intelligence of their coming.
Sir, Yr most obedt Servt John Blair, Prest
Sprague transcript, DLC:GW.
Founders Online Footnotes:
John Blair (1687–1771) as president of the council after William Fairfax’s death on 3 Sept. 1757 became acting governor on Robert Dinwiddie’s departure, 12 Jan. 1758, and served until the arrival of Francis Fauquier, 5 June 1758.
Footnote 1.
GW reported to John Blair on 9 April that about 400 Indians had already been at Fort Loudoun by the time GW arrived in early April and that 140 more were expected that day. Capt. Paul Demeré of the S.C. Independent Company at Fort Loudoun in the Cherokee country wrote Gov. William Henry Lyttelton on 2 April 1758 that despite his efforts to delay their departure 157 Cherokee in several parties had gone in March “towards the French Fort” and that even “greater Numbers are gone to the Northward” (McDowell, S.C. Indian Affairs, 1754–1765, 455–56).
Footnote 2.
See Dinwiddie to Christopher Gist, 14 Nov. 1757, in Brock, Dinwiddie Papers, 2:713–14.
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Compiled and authored by Jim Moyer posted 445pm 1/23/2022
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SOURCES:
info on John Blair's house located in Williamsburg
John Blair Sr ca. 1687–1771
Biography
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Virginia Encyclopedia
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Wikipedia
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President was the title bestowed on the leader of the Governor's Council. This President took charge if the Governor and Lt Governor were absent. In this time period Lord Loudoun was Gov of VA but never step foot in Virginia. And often in Virginia, the Governor was an absent Governor, leaving those duties to the Lieutenant Governor, who, for that reason was often referred to as Governor.
The Council fulfilled several functions. It was the upper house to the House of Burgesses. It served also as a court of last resort, A Supreme Court in a sense before any matter would go to London, if it was appealed. Finally it was an advisory Council to the Governor.
He became the council's senior member or president in 3 Sept 1757 after William Fairfax died.
He served four times as Virginia's acting governor.
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The first was after the departure of Robert Dinwiddie, from January 12, 1758 to June 5, 1758, when Francis Fauquier arrived.
The second time was in September and October 1761 when Fauquier was consulting with General Jeffery Amherst in New York.
In 1763, Blair was acting governor when Fauquier was in the Province of Georgia in September to December.
The final time was after Fauquier's death on March 4, 1768 until the arrival of his replacement, Norborne Berkeley on October 26, 1768.
Governor's Council
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List of Colonial Governors of VA
A citizen of the Empire
To show how John Blair thought of himself first as a citizen of a united empire but at the same time independent, look at two actions he took in his last term as President of Council and as acting Governor:
This is an action of a person who feels to be a part of the Empire:
During his last term as acting governor Blair also learned that a fire had destroyed a convent and eighty-eight houses in Montreal, and at his urging the clergymen of Virginia raised £360 sterling in a special collection to aid the victims.
Compare this to arguing against Parliament's right to tax the colonies.
In April 1768: Acting Governor John Blair transmits to London the General Assembly's addresses to the king and Parliament challenging the asserted right of Parliament to tax the colonies. The ministry is so offended that a new governor, Norborne Berkeley, baron de Botetourt, is speedily appointed and sent to Virginia.
Source:
Virginia Encyclopedia
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To differentiate Father from Son:
John Blair Jr April 17, 1732 – Aug 31, 1800
Biography
He is not to be confused with his fourth son of the same name who was born the same year as Colonel George Washington. This fourth son of John Blair Sr is John Blair Jr, (April 17, 1732 – August 31, 1800) who later became an associate justice on the first Supreme Court.
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John Blair Jr on the first court as an Associate Justice under Chief Justice John Jay:
There was another John Blair Jr during this same period of time who was a cousin who was partners with John Blair Sr.
Wikipedia
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Founders Online
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Clement Read in Lunenburg:
This letter is terrifying. You met the letter writer, Clement Read, in the previous story posted on the Catawba coming.
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The Problem with Adkin:
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