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
Blair was born at Foul Rift in White Township, New Jersey, just south of Belvidere, the fourth of ten children of James Blair and Rachel Insley. At the age of two, his family moved to a farm near Hope Township, New Jersey.
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 are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated form ...
and muskrats 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 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
Blairstown, New Jersey
Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...
(2000 Population of 5,747) in Blair's honor. Blair, either outright or jointly with others, owned Lackawanna Coal and Iron Company (1846),
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 . The railroad was ...
(1852),
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...
(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 United States Census, 2010 census. Blair is a part of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, Omaha-Council Bluffs Me ...
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 (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...
, or from his private rail car, in which it was common for him to log annually.Blair Family Papers: Biographical Sketch of John Insley Blair , accessed December 31, 2006 As president of 16 railroad companies, he amassed a fortune estimated at $70 million. Blair owned the most rail mileage in the world. His
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
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 1,325 at the 2020 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; 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),DA1906 founded a (1821–1871).
* Marcus Laurence Blair (1830–1874), who died unmarried.
* DeWitt Clinton Blair (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 banking, investment banker and Yachting, yachtsman.
Early years
Blair was born in Belvidere, New Jersey, on July 16, 1867. He was the son of DeWitt Clinton Bl ...
.
* Aurelia Ann Blair (1838–1865), who married Clarence Green Mitchell (1825-1893) in 1864.
He died in
Blairstown, New Jersey
Blairstown is a Township (New Jersey), township in Warren County, New Jersey, Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 5,704, a decrease of 263 (−4.4%) from the 2010 Uni ...
Lafayette College
Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...
(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 and the Delawa ...
) and
Grinnell College
Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...
(in
Grinnell, Iowa
Grinnell ( ) is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College, as well as being the location of the ...
).
At
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
, in
Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
, 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, then ...
. 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 ...
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 ...