"'(February 8, 1818 -- August 6, 1894) Austin Blair was a(n) lawyer, county, clerk, public servant, governor, and American politician. Blair was born in Caroline, Tompkins County, New York and moved to Eaton Rapids, Michigan in 1841. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1841. Austin was a county clerk of Eaton County, a member of the State house of representatives (1845), delegate to the free-soil National Convention at Buffalo, New York (1848), prosecuting attorney of Jackson County (1852, member of the state senate (1854), member of the republican platform committee, delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago (1860), Governor of Michigan (January 1, 1861 - January 1, 1865), and was not elected as a Liberal Republican candidate for Governor. Blair was elected as a Republican to the 40th, 41st, and 42nd Congresses (March 4, 1867 - March 3, 1873) where he served as Chairman on the Committee on private Land Claims (41st and 42nd Congresses). He was not reelected in 1872). [Source: 'Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 - Present', available at https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/Home/MemberDetails?memIndex=B000521]"