James Gillespie Blaine

author

James Gillespie Blaine

1830–1893

A magnetic force in 19th-century Republican politics, he rose from journalism to become Speaker of the House, U.S. senator, secretary of state, and his party’s presidential nominee in 1884. He was one of the era’s best-known public figures and helped push early Pan-American diplomacy.

2 Audiobooks

Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860

Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860

by James Gillespie Blaine

Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860

Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860

by James Gillespie Blaine

About the author

Born in Pennsylvania in 1830, James Gillespie Blaine built his early career as a teacher, lawyer-in-training, and newspaper editor before settling in Maine. That mix of education, print culture, and party politics helped make him a sharp debater and an unusually skilled political organizer.

He became one of the most influential Republicans of the late 1800s, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, including several years as Speaker of the House, and then representing Maine in the U.S. Senate. In 1884 he won the Republican presidential nomination, though he lost the general election to Grover Cleveland.

Blaine also served twice as U.S. secretary of state, first in 1881 and again from 1889 to 1892. Historians and official government biographies remember him especially for his role in expanding U.S. interest in relations with Latin America and helping launch what became known as the Pan-American movement. He died in 1893, after a career that kept him near the center of national politics for decades.