James H. Blake
Encyclopedia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, elected by the council of aldermen in 1813 and serving until 1817.
Birth
Born on June 11, 1768 to Joseph Blake and Mary Heighe in Calvert County, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, descendent of Admiral Robert Blake, Dr. James Heighe Blake was of lineage. He was well born on both sides. The Blakes and Heighes were Maryland colonists, prominent in the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, active in political affairs, and planters with slave holdings.
Early years
He graduated in medicine at the American Medical Society in Philadelphia on 1789 at the age of twenty one.In 1795, Dr. James Heighe Blake built his home in Washington D.C. He was a very eminent citizen.
In 1800 he moved to Colchester, Fairfax County, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It is on the north bank of the Occoquan River
Occoquan River
The Occoquan River is a tributary of the Potomac River in northern Virginia, in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The river is long, and its watershed covers about . It is formed by the confluence of Broad Run and Cedar Run in Prince William County; Bull Run enters it east-southeast of...
just opposite of Woodbridge in Prince William County. After living for several years in Colchester he returned to District of Columbia in 1809. In the following year he was elected to the First Chamber, Ninth Council and held that position the year after because of informality in the election. On June 14, 1813 the Board convened to elect the Mayor of Washington D.C. First, second, and third ballots were Mr.Brent and Mr. Rapine
Daniel Rapine
Daniel Rapine was the second mayor of Washington, D.C., elected by the city council in June 1812 and serving for one year.-History:...
with 10 votes each. Dr. James Heighe Blake substituted Mr. Brent and he and Mr. Rapine each had 10 votes. Eventually Dr. Blake won the election and mayorship. He was reelected 3 times and served as a mayor till 1817.
Mayorship
During his time as a mayor he advocated schools on the Lancastrian system and a reformatory. He also urged the office of Health Officer and in result it was created. As a mayor he started improving city streets and the first navigation of the Eastern Branch, now known as the Anacostia RiverAnacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...
.
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
troops laid siege to the city on August 24, 1814, as part of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He put the city on alert a few days before the siege, insisting that "I would exert myself to the last moment and agree to die in the streets rather than give up the city, but, if all resistance was given over, and our military abandoned it, I would then also leave it and not surrender myself a prisoner to the enemy." It was Blake who urged Dolley Madison
Dolley Madison
Dolley Payne Todd Madison was the spouse of the fourth President of the United States, James Madison, and was First Lady of the United States from 1809 to 1817...
, the First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
, to flee Washington
Burning of Washington
The Burning of Washington was an armed conflict during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States of America. On August 24, 1814, led by General Robert Ross, a British force occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following...
before the British arrived. He then rounded up men to defend the city, so occupied with its fortification that his wife and four children were forced to make escape on their own.
"Washington was left completely unprotected for the first two years of the war. No fortifications or batteries were erected along either the Potomac or the Eastern Branch. Old Fort Washington was scarcely capable of defending the entire city. Resolutions to place the capital in a defensive state were voted down, largely through the influence of the Secretary of War, General [John] Armstrong. No system of alarms and outposts was established to warn the city of impending danger, and no steps were taken to use the natural advantages of an easily defended eastern boundary."
Once the army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
forces in Washington had surrendered, and most of the city's residents fled, Blake made a desperate last effort to hold off the British, distributing flyers and handbills and placing an ad in the evening newspaper The Daily National Intelligencer, urging "all able-bodied Citizens remaining here" to meet at the steps of the U.S. Capitol and then proceed to an arsenal at Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
to arm themselves and defend the city. It was too late, however, to save the capital from being burned, and Blake himself finally fled across the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
on the night of the 24th when it became evident that his only alternative was to be taken prisoner.
He was the mayor during the most troublesome period of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the most doubtful days of existence with the least equipped to cope against a powerful adversary he stood up for his country. Despite much criticism of his inability to save the city, Blake was instrumental in its recovery and reconstruction after the British attack.
Blake's Contributions
During the 1820s, Blake was a member of the prestigious society, Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and SciencesColumbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences
The Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences was a literary and science institution in Washington, D.C., founded by Dr. Edward Cutbush , a naval surgeon...
, who counted among their members former presidents Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and many prominent men of the day, including well-known representatives of the military, government service, medical and other professions.
Blake attended the organization meeting of the Columbian Institute and was a temporary chairman beginning on October 7, 1816. Later he became one of the permanent officers.
He was one of the first on the board of directors of the Bank of the Metropolis
Bank of the Metropolis
The Bank of the Metropolis building is located at 31 Union Square West in Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Bruce Price, an architect particularly attached to designing skyscrapers in three parts, mirroring the structure of classical columns, and the building reflects this...
. He was involved in preliminary organization of St. John’s Church and one of the first vestry. He was appointed by President James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
as a Medical Supervisor with corps of doctors and surgeons. He is one of sixteen people who formed a Medical Society on September 26, 1817.
Personal
Dr. James H. Blake had 5 children, Thomas Holdsworth Blake, Dr. John Bond Blake, James Heighe Blake Jr., Joseph Richard Blake and one daughter Glorvina Blake. Thomas Holdsworth Blake was appointed U.S. Attorney for State of Indiana in 1817; one of three men selected by the Indiana state legislature in 1818 to cast the state's first electoral votes for president of the U.S.; the first presiding judge of First Circuit Court of Indiana; elected Indiana state representative; elected Indiana State senator; U.S. congressman; head of the U.S. Land Office in Washington, D.C. (1842–1845); Indiana University trustee (1829–1838); and resident trustee of the Wabash & Erie Canal. A. Page 160.James Heighe Blake died on July 29, 1819 at the age of fifty two. The remains were interred in the Methodist Episcopal Burial Ground in Georgetown and then moved to the William A. Gordon lot in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington D.C. on November 2, 1870.