John Insley Blair (August 22, 1802 – December 2, 1899) was an American entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men.

Early life

John Insley Blair was born at

Foul Rift Foul Rift is a Class II rapids in the Delaware River from mile 196.3 to 196.7, located about a mile south of Belvidere, New Jersey Belvidere is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the tow ...

in White Township, New Jersey, just south of Belvidere, the fourth of ten children of John Blair and Rachel Insley, immigrants from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

.Blair Family Papers: Biographical Sketch of John Insley Blair
, accessed December 31, 2006 At the age of two, his family moved to a farm near

Hope Township, New Jersey Hope Township is a township in Warren County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,835, a decrease of 117 (−6.0%) from the 2010 census count of 1,952, which in turn reflected an ...

. As a youth, Blair displayed a keen interest in the acquisition of wealth. At the age of ten, he is reported to have told his mother, "I have seven brothers and three sisters. That's enough in the family to be educated. I am going to get rich." The young Blair began earning money by trapping wild

rabbits Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit specie ...

and

muskrats The muskrat (''Ondatra zibethicus'') is a medium-sized semiaquatic rodent native to North America and an introduced species in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and hab ...

and selling their skins at a price of sixteen for a dollar. The next year, Blair began working at a general store owned by his cousin John, and at the age of seventeen he founded a store of his own with his cousin as an equal partner, located in the community of Butt's Bridge, New Jersey.

Career

On August 25, 1825, the name of the community was changed to Gravel Hill and Blair was appointed

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

, a position he retained until July, 1851. Blairstown, Past and Present: An Historical Narrative
accessed December 31, 2006 Blair bought out his cousin's share of their store and expanded operations. By 1830, he owned five stores, each one run by one of his brothers. On January 23, 1839, Gravel Hill was officially renamed

Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...

(1852),

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

(1860), and was president, director, or joint in more than 20 others. He established

Blair, Nebraska Blair is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,990 at the 2010 census. History Blair was platted in 1869 when the Sioux City and Pacific Railroad was extended to that point. It was n ...

by purchasing a tract of land in Nebraska on May 10, 1869 after the Sioux City and Pacific Rail Road chose to cross the Missouri river at that location. Blair managed his multimillion-dollar businesses from rural

Blairstown, New Jersey Blairstown is a township in Warren County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Blairstown's population was 5,704. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 5,967 Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

religion and penchant for philanthropy led him to found more than 100 churches in close proximity to his railroads.Princeton University: Blair Hall
accessed December 31, 2006 In 1873, he was also an investor in the Green Bay and Minnesota Railroad, and namesake

Blair, Wisconsin Blair is a city in Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, along the Trempealeau River. The population was 1,366 at the 2010 census. Blair is on the former Green Bay and Western Railroad, which ran down the Trempealeau River valley to Winona, Minnesota. ...

Personal life

On September 20, 1826, Blair married Nancy Ann Locke (1804–1888); they were the parents of four children: * Emma Elizabeth Blair (1827–1869), who married prominent publisher

Charles Scribner I Charles Scribner I (February 21, 1821 – August 26, 1871) was an American publisher who, with Isaac D. Baker (1819–1850), founded a publishing company that would eventually become Charles Scribner's Sons. Early life Scribner was born in New ...

(1821–1871). * Marcus Laurence Blair (1830–1874), who died unmarried. *

DeWitt Clinton Blair DeWitt Clinton Blair (September 6, 1833 – June 3, 1915) was an American philanthropist and industrialist. Early life Blair was born in Gravel Hill, New Jersey (later renamed Blairstown) on September 6, 1833. He was the son of entrepreneur and ...

(1833–1915), who continued businesses and expanded his father's philanthropy and had as his son,

C. Ledyard Blair Clinton Ledyard Blair (July 16, 1867 – February 7, 1949) was an American investment banker and yachtsman. Early years Blair was born in Belvidere, New Jersey, on July 16, 1867. He was the son of DeWitt Clinton Blair, a philanthropist and ind ...

. * Aurelia Ann Blair (1838–1865), who married Clarence Green Mitchell. He died in

Philanthropy, honors and legacy

His great-grandson, Episcopal bishop

John Insley Blair Larned John Insley Blair Larned (October 5, 1883 – December 3, 1955) was a suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, serving from 1929 to 1946. Early life and education Larned was born on October 3, 1883, in Chicago, Illinois, the son ...

, was named after him. He founded

Blair Academy Blair Academy is a coeducational, boarding and day school for students in high school. The school serves students from ninth through twelfth grades as well as a small post-graduate class. The school's campus is located on a campus in Blairs ...

in 1848, and helped to found

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

(in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

) and

Grinnell College Grinnell College is a private liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of New England Congregationalists established the Trustees of Iowa College. Grinnell has the fifth highest endowment-to-st ...

(in

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College. History Grinnell was founded by settlers from New England who we ...

). At

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, he endowed a geology professorship, first held by

Arnold Henry Guyot Arnold Henry Guyot ( ) (September 28, 1807February 8, 1884) was a Swiss-American geologist and geographer. Early life Guyot was born on September 28, 1807, at Boudevilliers, near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He was educated at Chaux-de-Fonds, th ...

. The

endowed chair A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

is the second oldest at the school; as of the start of the 2000–01 school year there were 172 such endowed chairs.Endowed professorships
''Princeton Weekly Bulletin'', accessed December 31, 2006 He also served as trustee from 1866 until his death. In remarks at his installation as trustee, Blair noted that he had received little formal education and had spent most of his life as a businessman learning addition but that now "I have come to Princeton to learn subtraction." Blair provided funds to build Blair Hall, which was constructed in 1897 by

Cope & Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...

References

External links

*
Blair SocietyPapers of John Insley Blair
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, John Insley 1802 births 1899 deaths Grinnell College people New Jersey Republicans People from Blairstown, New Jersey People from Hope Township, New Jersey American people of Scottish descent 19th-century American politicians