In Georgia Blackburn became rector of an academy at Washington in Wilkes County and prepared himself for the legal profession. Aided no doubt by the political eminence of his father-in-law, who served as governor of Georgia from 1787 to 1788 and 1793 to 1796, Blackburn became a general in the militia and won election to the Georgia State Senate, representing Elbert County from 1791 to 1795. During the 1794–1795 session Blackburn was accused of helping to gain legislative passage of the infamous Yazoo land bill, which granted approximately 50 million acres west of the Chattahoochee River to four companies for $500,000. His father-in-law, then serving his second term as governor, had been granting land liberally in order to settle Georgia's undeveloped frontier. Unlike some of his predecessors, however, Mathews had awarded vast tracts to a few speculators and corrupt politicians and signed the bill. No wrongdoing was proved on the part of either the governor or Blackburn, but the widely circulated accusations made Blackburn very unpopular.
General Blackburn, as he was usually called, became an extremely successful attorney at a time when the bar in that part of Virginia was one of the most distinguished and competitive in the state. His speeches in court, sometimes eloquent, sometimes humorous, and sometimes bitterly sarcastic, became legendary. Blackburn became one of the wealthiest men in Bath County. At the time of his death the value of his total estate in Bath and Augusta counties probably exceeded $140,000.
Time Line
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May 1761 - Samuel Blackburn is born in Frederick County.
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1784 - Samuel Blackburn begins acquiring land in Wilkes County, Georgia.
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1785 - Samuel Blackburn receives an AB from Liberty Hall.
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August 18, 1785 - Samuel Blackburn and Ann Mathews marry. They will have no children.
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1791–1795 - Samuel Blackburn represents Elbert County in the Georgia State Senate.
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May 1796 - Samuel Blackburn purchases land in Bath County, part of an estate named Cloverdale.
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November 8, 1796 - Samuel Blackburn qualifies to practice law in Bath County.
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November 15, 1796 - Samuel Blackburn qualifies to practice law in Augusta County.
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January 31, 1797–July 19, 1830 - Samuel Blackburn serves as a trustee of Washington Academy, later Washington College.
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1799–1801 - Samuel Blackburn represents Bath County in the House of Delegates.
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1806 - Samuel Blackburn contracts to purchase remaining acreage of Cloverdale in Bath County.
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1809–1811 - Samuel Blackburn represents Bath County in the House of Delegates.
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1812–1813 - Samuel Blackburn represents Bath County in the House of Delegates.
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1815 - Litigation confirms and settles Samuel Blackburn's ownership of Cloverdale estate in Bath County.
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1816–1818 - Samuel Blackburn represents Bath County in the House of Delegates.
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1820–1826 - Samuel Blackburn represents Bath County in the House of Delegates.
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March 2, 1835 - Samuel Blackburn dies at his Bath County plantation, the Wilderness. He is buried in Staunton.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Tarter, B., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Samuel Blackburn (1761–1835). (2019, January 17). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Blackburn_Samuel_1761-1835.
- MLA Citation:
Tarter, Brent and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "Samuel Blackburn (1761–1835)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 17 Jan. 2019. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: August 17, 2018 | Last modified: January 17, 2019
Contributed by Brent Tarter and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Brent Tarter is founding editor of the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.