James Thomas Blair Jr. (March 15, 1902 – July 12, 1962) was an American Democratic politician from the state of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He served as the 44th Governor of Missouri from 1957-1961, as well as the 35th Lieutenant Governor of Missouri from 1949-1957, and a member of the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

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Personal history

Blair was born in

Maysville, Missouri Maysville is a city in DeKalb County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,095 at the 2020 census. Maysville is the county seat of DeKalb County. Maysville is part of the St. Joseph, MO– KS Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

to James T. Blair and Grace (Ray) Blair. His father was a prominent lawyer in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

who would later serve as an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri and, in 1914, be appointed a judge to the Missouri Supreme Court. Blair Jr. attended the

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

public schools and Staunton Military Academy in Virginia before pursuing higher education at Southwest Missouri State Teachers College (now

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...

) and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

. He earned his law degree in 1924 from

Cumberland University Cumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee. It was founded in 1842. The campus's current historic buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896. History 1842-1861 The university was founded by the Cumberland ...

in Tennessee. Blair married his wife Emilie Chorn of

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

in July 1926. They were the parents of two children: a son, James T. Blair III, and daughter Mary Margaret. During World War II Blair served in the

US Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

in the European Theater. He received the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

, and

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

among other awards as he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Political history

Blair first entered politics shortly after graduation from law school by running for and winning election as city attorney for Jefferson City in 1925. In 1928, Blair won election to the first of two consecutive terms in Missouri House of Representatives. Following his second term in the General Assembly, Blair left politics to focus on his private law practice until his service in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Blair returned to politics in 1947 with his election as mayor of Jefferson City. His mayoral term was short-lived, however, as in 1948 he was elected Missouri's Lieutenant Governor, a post he held until he assumed the office of governor, winning that race in November 1956. As governor, Blair was known as a civil rights advocate, declaring to the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

''Always and everywhere I will identify myself with any victim of oppression or discrimination...and I will support him''. This helped lead to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights in 1957. While in office, Blair was also an advocate of welfare reform and extending health insurance to the disabled. Under his governorship the first budget control and review office was established. Other highlights include a nursing home licensing law, establishing a Council on Higher Education, expansion of the

Missouri Highway Patrol The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) is the highway patrol agency for Missouri and has jurisdiction all across the state. It is a division of the Missouri Department of Public Safety. Colonel Eric T. Olson has been serving as the 24th superin ...

and setting of road speed limits, and setting up a state employee pension fund. At the time Missouri law prohibited a second consecutive term as governor, leading to Blair's retirement from politics after leaving office in January 1961.

Death

James T. Blair's retirement would be short-lived. On July 12, 1962, Blair and his wife were found dead in their suburban

Jefferson City Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the principa ...

home due to

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

. Investigators theorized the home's central air conditioning system sucked in exhaust fumes from a vehicle accidentally left running in the garage. Governor Blair and his wife were buried in the Riverview Cemetery in Jefferson City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, James T. Jr. 1902 births 1962 deaths People from Maysville, Missouri Military personnel from Missouri Democratic Party governors of Missouri Lieutenant Governors of Missouri Mayors of places in Missouri People from Jefferson City, Missouri Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II University of Missouri alumni Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning Accidental deaths in Missouri Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Legion of Merit 20th-century American politicians United States Army Air Forces officers