Eliza Violet Blair | |
|---|---|
 Francis Preston Blair seated and his wife standing alongside, full length portrait | |
| Born | Eliza Violet Gist November 10, 1794 |
| Died | July 5, 1877 (aged 82) |
| Other names | Mrs. Francis P. Blair |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse | Francis Preston Blair |
| Children |
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Eliza Violet Blair (née Gist; November 10, 1794 – July 5, 1877) was an American journalist and political hostess who developed a network of political figures which provided contacts for newspaper articles and editorials and to help build her husband's and son's careers. Blair and her husband Francis Preston Blair managed the Washington Globe. She was the mother of Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General and a judge. Daughter Elizabeth Blair Lee was manager and directress of the Washington City Orphan Asylum. James, a naval officer and a fortune-maker, died of exposure during the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). Son Francis Preston Blair Jr. was a Union Army officer of William Tecumseh Sherman's Army during the Civil War. He campaigned for vice president with presidential candidate Horatio Seymour.
Blair hosted events up to six times per week. Among their friends and political connections were Presidents Andrew Jackson and his family, Martin Van Buren, and Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. The Blairs became very influential within Washington, D.C. politics, but President James K. Polk, but Polk was not interested in Preston's support and had him sell the Washington Globe. Preston supported John C. Frémont and helped get him nominated as a presidential candidate for the Republican Party, to his wife's chagrin.