History of Blairstown, (Warren County) New Jersey United States of America

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John Insley Blair, capitalist, was born in a small settlement near Belvidere, N.J., Aug. 22, 1802; son of James and Rachel (Insley) Blair and grandson of John Blair who immigrated from Scotland between 1730 and 1740 and settled in New Jersey. He was a clerk in a store, 1813-21, and then engaged in business on his own account, at the place afterwards named for him, Blairstown, N.J. His business as country storekeeper soon spread into a number of branches, and he added milling, cotton manufacturing, iron mining and railroad building, in which he extensively engaged, accumulating a vast fortune. He built the grater portion of the Lackawanna, Delaware and Western railroad, investing his own money and keeping every dollar of his securities. When Scranton, Pa., was a wilderness he bought land in and around the place, and saw it grow to a city of nearly one hundred thousand people. Mr. Blair built on his own account half the railroads in Iowa. He rebuilt Grinnell college, Iowa, and the entire town of Blairstown, N.J. He was an unsuccessful candidate for governor of New Jersey, and was present at every Republican national convention up to 1896. His practice in building up the West was to lay the route of a new road, mark the town sites along the line and buy up the mast available land before the public knew of the project. When the town was located Mr. Blair was found to own all the lots for sale. He contributed over one million dollars to educational institutions, including $150,000 to Princeton and $50,000 to Lafayette. His fortune was estimated as between fifty and seventy-five million dollars. He died at Blairstown, N.J., Dec. 2, 1899.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Blairstown, (Warren County) New Jersey

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