Fred Basset Blair (October 4, 1906''Testimony by and concerning Paul Corbin: Hearings'', United States. Congress. House. Committee on Un-American Activities, Paul Corbin, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1962, pg. 1320 – March 21, 2005) was born in

Berlin, Wisconsin Berlin (/ˈbɜːrlɪn/ BUR-lin) is a city in Green Lake and Waushara counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,571 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,435 were in Green Lake County, and only 89 were in Waushara County. The city ...

, in 1906. His family, of French-Canadian heritage, has lived in the state for more than 150 years. Blair attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

as a

Zona Gale Zona Gale (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese, was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

scholar. Becoming active in left wing politics, he joined the

Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

in 1929, running for governor in 1930, 1932, 1940, 1942, 1966, and 1974. He also ran for U.S. Senator for Wisconsin in the 1938 election. Blair survived multiple investigations into his activities in the 1940s and 1950s and remained as the head of the Communist Party of Wisconsin into the 1970s. In the governor's race in 1974, he received 3,617 votes. Blair and his wife Mary ran a bookstore in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

for 13 years; it was known at different times as Mary's Bookstore, Mark Twain Bookstore and The People's Bookstore. Blair was known for his poetry and love of literature. In November 1966, a 17-year-old Brookfield Wisconsin youth entered Mary's Bookshop and tried to shoot Blair with a handgun. Blair was not wounded, although a book dealer in the store was shot during a scuffle with the assailant."Salesman Wounded in Red's Bookstore". ''The Milwaukee Journal'', November 28, 1966.

References

* *''The Milwaukee Journal'', May 23, 1947. *''The Milwaukee Journal'', June 27, 1947. *Fred B. Blair for Governor Booklet - Communist Party of Wisconsin 1974 *''The New York Times'', November 29, 1966 - "Communist beats off youth" Members of the Communist Party USA University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 1906 births 2005 deaths People from Berlin, Wisconsin {{Wisconsin-politician-stub