Eliza Violet Gist Blair

Eliza Violet Blair 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.