Frank S. Blair (1839 – January 14, 1899) was a Virginia lawyer who served as

Attorney General of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an Executive (government), executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a United State ...

. The son of Tennessee congressman John Blair, Frank Blair was an officer in the Confederate Army, then practiced law in

Wythe County, Virginia Wythe County () is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,290. Its county seat is Wytheville. History Wythe County was formed from Montgomery Cou ...

. As the

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

candidate for Attorney General in 1881, Blair was elected despite the emergence during the campaign of forged letters, containing racist remarks, said to have been written by him. The forgery was revealed prior to Election Day. Blair's term as Attorney General coincided with the governorship of William E. Cameron. In 1885, Blair lost the nomination for governor, ran for re-election as attorney general, and was defeated by the Democrat

Rufus A. Ayers Rufus Adolphus Ayers (May 20, 1849 – May 14, 1926) was a Virginia lawyer, businessman, and politician, who served as Attorney General of Virginia. Ayers was born in Bedford County, Virginia. His family set out for Texas, but passed through Goo ...

. Blair attended the Republican National Conventions in 1884 and 1888. President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

resisted efforts to have Blair named

Solicitor General of the United States The solicitor general of the United States (USSG or SG), is the fourth-highest-ranking official within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), and represents the federal government in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. ...

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Frank Virginia lawyers Virginia attorneys general 1839 births 1899 deaths Readjuster Party politicians 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Virginia politicians People from Wythe County, Virginia Virginia Republicans