Frank S. Blair

Frank S. Blair (1839 - January 14, 1899) was a Virginia lawyer who served as Attorney General of Virginia.

The son of Tennessee congressman John Blair,cite book
last = Preston
first = Thomas Wilson
title = Some Famous Civilians of Southwestern Virginia
publisher = King Print. Co. (accessed via Google Books)
date = 1947] Frank Blair was an officer in the Confederate Army, then practiced law in Wythe County, Virginia.

As the Readjuster Party 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.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F03E5D6103CEE3ABC4C52DFB667838A699FDE|title= THE BLAIR LETTERS.; AN ALLEGED CONFESSION THAT THEY WERE FORGED--A COUNTER-STATEMENT IN DENIAL, October 14, 1881|publisher=New York Times|accessmonthday=April 6 |accessyear=2008] 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.cite web |url=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9F06E6DD123FE533A25755C2A9679D94649FD7CF=slogin|title=VIRGINIA'S VOTE, November 26, 1885|publisher=New York Times|accessmonthday=April 6 |accessyear=2008]

Blair attended the Republican National Conventions in 1884cite book
last = Dawson
first = George Francis
title = Official Proceedings of the Republican National Convention Held at Chicago
publisher = C.W. Johnson (accessed via Google Books)
date = 1903] and 1888cite book
last = Spottsworth
first = Ainsworth Rand
title = An American almanac and treasury of facts
publisher = American News Co. (accessed via Google Books)
date = 1888] .

President Benjamin Harrison resisted efforts to have Blair named Solicitor General of the United States.cite book
last = McKinney
first = Gordon B.
title = Southern Mountain Republicans, 1865-1900: Politics and the Appalachian Community
publisher = University of North Carolina Press (accessed via Google Books)
date = 1978
ISBN = 0807813001]

Notes and references