Delegates to the Constitutional Convention

State: Virginia

Age at Convention: 55

Date of Birth: 1732

Date of Death: 8/31/1800

Schooling: College of William and Mary 1754, Middle Temple, London

Occupation: Lawyer, Politician, Judge

Prior Political Experience: Virginia House of Burgesses 1770-1775, Virginia Constitutional Convention 1776, Privy Council 1776-1778, Judge of the Virginia general court 1777-1779, Judge of the First Virginia Court of Appeals 1780-1787

Committee Assignments: None

Convention Contributions: Despite attending the convention rigorously, Blair was not known to speak during it. He originally sided with George Mason and Edmund Randolph before switching to side with Washington and Madison, allowing the Virginia delegation to be Federalist. William Pierce described him as “no Orator, but his good sense, and most excellent principles, compensate for other deficiencies.”
New Government Participation: Following the convention, Blair continued to serve as Judge of the First Virginia Court of Appeals until 1789. During this time he was a delegate to the Virginia Ratification Convention in 1788. In 1789, Washington appointed him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court where he served until his retirement in 1796.