Harrison Gray Otis Blake (March 17, 1818 – April 16, 1876) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Born in

Newfane, Vermont Newfane is the shire town (county seat) of Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,645 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Newfane, Williamsville, and South Newfane. History One of the New Hampshire gran ...

, Blake moved to

Salem, New York Salem is a town in eastern Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 2,702 at the 2000 census. The town of Salem contains a hamlet also named Salem, formerly ...

, and in 1830 to Guilford, Ohio. He received his education at public schools, later studying medicine at Seville for one year. In 1836, he moved to Medina, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits and studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in Medina. From 1846 to 1847, he served as a member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in Ch ...

, and was elected to the Ohio State Senate in 1848, serving as that chamber's president. Blake was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the 36th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Cyrus Spink, formerly Representative for Ohio's 14th congressional district. He was reelected to that Congress, serving from October 11, 1859, to March 3, 1863. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862 to the Thirty-eighth Congress, but instead, with the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

raging, entered the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

in 1864. He served as colonel of the 166th Ohio Infantry, a Hundred Days Regiment. Blake was mayor of Medina from 1870 to 1872. After the war, he declined the appointment of Governor of Idaho Territory, resuming the practice of law and maintaining an interest in banking and mercantile pursuits. He served as delegate to the Loyalist Convention at Philadelphia in 1866, and died ten years later in

Medina, Ohio Medina ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 Census. It lies about 33 miles (53 km) south of Cleveland and 23 miles (37 km) west of Akron within the Clevelan ...

, on April 16, 1876. He was interred in Spring Grove Cemetery.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Harrison Gray Otis 1818 births 1876 deaths People from Newfane, Vermont Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio People from Medina, Ohio Presidents of the Ohio Senate Republican Party Ohio state senators People from Salem, New York 19th-century American legislators