Blaine, James Gillespie

(January 31, 1830—January 27, 1893), was born at West Brownsville, Pa. He was graduated at Washington College in Pennsylvania in 1847, and became a teacher. In 1854 he settled in August a, Me., and a umed the editorship of the Kennebec Journal. He was soon a power in State journalism and politics, was elected to the Legislature in 1858, and was chairman of the Republican State Committee. He entered Congre as a Representative from Maine in 1863, and acquired a brilliant reputation as an able and versatile. debater and an ager e ive party leader. These qualities with his knowledge of parliamentary law made him Speaker of the House for three terms, 1869-1875. In 1876-1881 he was United States Senator. This prominence and his ‘‘ magnetic ’’ character brought him to men’s minds as a candidate for the Presidency. In 1876 he was one of the two leaders for the Republican prize; in 1880, while beaten himself by the persistency of the Grant advocates, he dictated the nomination of Garfield, and entered the latter’s Cabinet in March, 1881, as Secretary of State. His interference in the Chilian-Peruvian imbroglio is a matter of history. He resigned office in December, 1881, soon after President Arthur’s acce ion. In 1884 he was on the fourth ballot nominated to the Presidency, and between his advocates and those of Mr. Cleveland there ensued one of the most extraordinary and exciting personal campaigns on record. His reputation had been a ailed before, particularly from his alleged connection with the Little Rock Railroad matter, and a formidable section of the Republican party bolted his candidacy. So much the more vigorous was the support of the many friends of the ‘‘Plumed Knight.’’ The defection of the Mugwumps and the singular alliterative utterance of Mr. Burchard are variously a igned as the cause of his lo of New York State by a small majority, and consequent lo of the election in the country at large. In 1889 he became Secretury of State in President Harrison’s Cabinet. He will probably be best remembered in this office for his furtherance of the Pan-American conference and advocacy of reciprocity. He suddenly resigned in June, 1892, and was an unsucce ful candidate for the Republican nomination. He died at Washington. His political reminiscences and comments are given in his ‘‘ Twenty Years in Congre ” (published 1884-1886).