Henry W. Blair served successful terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate. He was then elected to Congress where he served two terms. In all of these races, he proved to be an effective campaigner and a supporter of reform legislation. In 1879, Blair was elected to the United States Senate. He quickly became chairman of the Education and Labor Committee. In this position, he sponsored a number of reform initiatives. Among them were greater recognition of organized labor, greater legal and political rights for women, and Prohibition. His most widely recognized contribution ... More

Henry W. Blair served successful terms in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate. He was then elected to Congress where he served two terms. In all of these races, he proved to be an effective campaigner and a supporter of reform legislation. In 1879, Blair was elected to the United States Senate. He quickly became chairman of the Education and Labor Committee. In this position, he sponsored a number of reform initiatives. Among them were greater recognition of organized labor, greater legal and political rights for women, and Prohibition. His most widely recognized contribution was his Education Bill. This legislation was an attempt to deal with the widespread illiteracy in the United States. Blair remained popular throughout his career winning a second term in the Senate and a one more election to the House of Representatives. He remained active in New Hampshire and national politics after his retirement from the House, and worked closely with his son in a law firm in Washington for the last two decades of his life.