What is Francis Preston Blair?
[[File:Francis Preston Blair Sr.jpg|thumb|361x361px|An elderly Blair in circa 1870|alt=]] [[File:Francis Preston Blair signature.png|thumb|right|180px|Blair's signature]] '''Francis Preston Blair, Sr.''' (April 12, 1791 &ndash; October 18, 1876) or '''Preston Blair''' was an [[Americans|American]] journalist and politician, before and during the [[American Civil War]]. Blair wanted to reunite the North and the South during the war. Blair helped to create the Republican Party. He supported many Democrats, but was mostly the ally of Republican President [[Abraham Lincoln]]. He is nicknamed '''The Father of the Republican Party''' since he was one of the men who started the Republican Party. == Early life == Blair was born at [[Abingdon, Virginia]] on April 12, 1791.<ref>Goodwin, 2005, Chapter 1.</ref> He moved to [[Kentucky]] and later graduated from [[Transylvania University]] in 1811. Blair became a [[journalist]] in [[Frankfort, Kentucky]] and [[Washington D.C.]], and a prominent leader of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]. He was married to Eliza Violet Gist from 1812 until his death in 1876. They had five children. He founded [[Silver Spring, Maryland|Silver Spring]], the second largest city in [[Maryland]], in 1840. ==Political career== [[File:Francis Preston Blair in 1845.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Blair in 1845]] Blair helped create the Republican Party and supported the first nominee of the party, [[Abraham Lincoln]]. Although he had slaves, Blair was said that after the [[Mexican War]] that slavery should not be extended beyond where it was allowed. In 1848 he actively supported [[Martin Van Buren]], the [[Free Soil Party]] candidate for the presidency. Later, he supported [[Franklin Pierce]], but then went on to help organize the new [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] in supporting Anti-Slavery reforms at a convention at [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] in February 1856.<ref>[http://gluedideas.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-Volume-3-Baltimore-Braila/Francis-Preston-Blair.html F