The Blair family was politically active and powerfully connected from the moment they arrived in Washington, D.C. Francis Preston Blair was a journalist from Frankfort, Kentucky, and his editorials in support of the fledgling administration of President Andrew Jackson attracted the president's attention. Jackson invited Blair to move to Washington and become editor of the pro-administration newspaper the Globe. In 1830 the Blair family (Francis Preston Blair, his wife Eliza and their three children) moved to the nation's capital, and in 1837 they took up residence in the home that became known as the Blair House.
In his role as the editor of the Globe, Francis Preston Blair held a great deal of political power. He was also the most influential member of the informal group of advisors known as President Jackson's "Kitchen Cabinet." When Martin Van Buren succeeded Andrew Jackson as president, Francis Preston Blair remained an important advisor and confidant to the new president.
With the election of President James Polk, however, Francis Preston Blair was forced out as the publisher of the Globe. He sold the paper at a profit and moved for several years to another home in Silver Spring, Maryland. From 1845 until 1852 Blair House was leased, with tenants including Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft and Secretary of the Interior Thomas Ewing.
The Blairs took occupancy again in 1852, and in 1854 Francis Preston Blair's eldest son, Montgomery, returned from practicing law in Missouri and moved into the home. He served as Postmaster General under President Abraham Lincoln, who also counted Francis Preston Blair as a trusted friend and informal advisor.
In 1859 Francis Preston Blair built 1653 Pennsylvania Avenue for his daughter Elizabeth Blair Lee and her husband, Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee. This home, known as Lee House, is today an integral part of the Blair House complex.
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Francis Preston Blair
Eliza Gist Blair
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