Samuel Blair (1741 – September 1818) was an American Presbyterian minister and the second

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of the United States House of Representatives.

Early life

Blair was born in 1741 in Faggs Manor, near

Cochranville Cochranville is a census-designated place (CDP) in West Fallowfield Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 668 at the 2010 census. It is the hometown of Olympic swimmer Cierra Runge. Geography Cochranville is ...

, Chester County, Pennsylvania, the son of a Presbyterian minister also named Samuel Blair who died when the son was about ten years old. His mother was Frances van Hook, daughter of Judge Lawrence van Hook and Johanna (Smith) van Hook.

Education

His primary education was at his father's theology school, the

Faggs Manor Classical School Fagg or FAGG may refer to: *Fagg (surname) *Fagg, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * George Airport's ICAO code *Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, a Belgian regulatory agency See also *Fagge baronets *Faggs Manor, Pe ...

. He went on to earn a B.A. in 1760 and a M.A. in 1764 from The College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), where he also tutored from 1761-1764. He was licensed to preach by the

Presbytery of Newcastle The New Castle Presbytery is the parent organization of the 47 churches and 2 new worshipping communities, 108 ministers, and 6,900 members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), Synod of Mid-Atlantic covering Delaware and the Maryland Eastern Shore. ...

in 1764. He earned a M.A. from Harvard College in 1767 and a D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) from the University of Pennsylvania in 1790.

Work

A conscientious and eloquent minister, he became pastor of the Old South Church in Boston in 1766. While traveling to Boston, he survived a shipwreck but became ill and lost his possessions including the sermons he had written. In the spring of 1769, he traveled to Philadelphia and became severely ill, believing he would not recover. Because of his poor health, and conflict with his church members regarding the Half-Way Covenant, he resigned and was dismissed on October 10, 1769. He then moved to Germantown, Pennsylvania. During the American Revolutionary War, he was a chaplain of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

from 1775 until June 20, 1780. His rank as an officer made him eligible for membership in the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

. He was appointed the second Chaplain of Congress on December 10, 1790, a position he held for two years, until he was replaced by

Ashbel Green Ashbel Green (July 6, 1762 – May 19, 1848) was an American Presbyterian minister and academic. Biography Born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, Green served as a sergeant of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War, and went ...

on November 5, 1792. Blair was a member of the American Philosophical Society (elected in 1797) and died in Germantown in September 1818.

Family

Upon return to Pennsylvania in 1769, he married Susan Shippen, the daughter of William Shippen, a Philadelphia physician and delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...

. They had two sons and three daughters. His wife died in 1821.

Published sermons

Blair published two sermons. One was a eulogy to Reverend John Blair Smith who died in 1799.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Samuel 1741 births 1818 deaths American Presbyterian ministers Chaplains of the United States House of Representatives Harvard College alumni Princeton University alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni