Appoline Alexander Blair

Appoline Agatha Alexander Blair (September 14, 1828 – Sep. 5, 1908)[1] was an American philanthropist, hospital founder, and wife of Senator (and Civil War general) Francis Preston Blair Jr.

Appoline Alexander Blair
Born
Appoline Agatha Alexander

(1828-09-14)September 14, 1828
DiedSeptember 5, 1908(1908-09-05) (aged 79)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Resting placeBellefontaine Cemetery
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1847; died 1875)​
Children8

Biography

Appoline Agatha Alexander was born to Andrew Alexander of Woodford County, Kentucky. She married Francis Preston Blair Jr. (1821–1875) on September 8, 1847, and had eight children.[2][3] In 1878, after losing two children to illness, Blair gathered a group of 20 prominent women and organized the St. Louis Children's Hospital, for which she served as the first president of the Board of Managers.[4][5] In addition to the St. Louis Children's Hospital, she is sometimes credited with the creation of the St. John's Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, in 1896.[6] She died on September 5, 1908, at the home of her daughter in St. Louis.[7]

References
  1. Buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis (findagrave.com).
  2. "Francis P. Blair, Jr". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 10, 1868. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Francis Preston Blair Jr". HarpWeek. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  4. St. Louis Children's Hospital website.
  5. Missouri Women, Health Sciences, Biographies (website).
  6. Mentioned in online citations, but her actual involvement, if any, is unclear.
  7. "Mrs. F. P. Blair is Dead". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. September 6, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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