JOHN BLAIR
Name: John Blair
Born: October 1731 Williamsburg, Virginia
Died: August 31, 1800 Williamsburg, Virginia
John Blair, Jr. (October 1731-August 31, 1800) was an American politician,
Founding Father, and Patriot.
John Blair was one of the best-trained jurists of his day. A legal scholar, he
avoided the tumult of state politics, preferring to work behind the scenes. But
he was devoted to the idea of a permanent union of the newly independent states
and loyally supported fellow Virginians James Madison and George Washington at
the Constitutional Convention. His greatest contribution as a Founding Father
came not in Philadelphia, but later as a judge on the Virginia court of appeals
and on the U.S. Supreme Court, where he influenced the interpretation of the
Constitution in a number of important decisions. Contemporaries praised Blair
for such personal strengths as gentleness and benevolence, and for his ability
to penetrate immediately to the heart of a legal question.
Name: John Blair
Born: October 1731 Williamsburg, Virginia
Died: August 31, 1800 Williamsburg, Virginia
John Blair, Jr. (October 1731-August 31, 1800) was an American politician,
Founding Father, and Patriot.
John Blair was one of the best-trained jurists of his day. A legal scholar, he
avoided the tumult of state politics, preferring to work behind the scenes. But
he was devoted to the idea of a permanent union of the newly independent states
and loyally supported fellow Virginians James Madison and George Washington at
the Constitutional Convention. His greatest contribution as a Founding Father
came not in Philadelphia, but later as a judge on the Virginia court of appeals
and on the U.S. Supreme Court, where he influenced the interpretation of the
Constitution in a number of important decisions. Contemporaries praised Blair
for such personal strengths as gentleness and benevolence, and for his ability
to penetrate immediately to the heart of a legal question.