Description

James Gillespie Blaine was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, served as Speaker of the House from 1869 to 1875, and was a U.S. Senator from 1876 to 1881. He served twice as Secretary of State, under presidents James A. Garfield and Chester A. Arthur in 1881, and under Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1892. Blaine was one of only two Secretaries of State to serve under three different presidents, the other being Daniel Webster. He sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1876 and 1880, and received the nomination in 1884, losing the general election to Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland by approximately 25,000 votes. Blaine was a prominent figure in the moderate faction of the Republican Party, known as the "Half-Breeds".