Joseph Blunt
Encyclopedia
Joseph Blunt was an American lawyer, author, editor and politician from New York
.
coast with sailing directions, lists of lighthouses and other important nautical information. In 1802, Edmund M. Blunt published the American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch
who became the godfather of Joseph's younger brother Nathaniel Bowditch Blunt
.
Joseph Blunt first came into notice by writing on the Missouri question in 1820. Soon afterward he wrote an article on the Laibach circular
, published in the North American Review
, which attracted the attention of politicians. In 1825, he published a Historical Sketch of the Formation of the American Confederacy (8 vol.), and from 1827 to 1835 he edited the American Annual Register. He also published Speeches, Reviews, and Reports (1843) and Merchants' and Shipmasters' Assistant (1829 and 1848).
He was long a leading Whig and protectionist. In 1851, Millard Fillmore
appointed him Commissioner to China, but he declined to take office. In September 1855
, he was a delegate to the Anti-Nebraska
state convention in Syracuse
which merged with the Whigs to form the Republican Party in the State of New York.
In 1858, he was appointed by Gov. John A. King New York County District Attorney
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Peter B. Sweeny
.
, was New York County District Attorney
from 1851 to 1854. The other two brothers, Edmund (1799-1866) and George William (1802-1878) followed their father's steps and got involved in nautical affairs. Edmund assisted Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler
in surveying the port of New York for the United States Coast Survey in 1817. George W. Blunt was for decades a member, and later secretary, of the Board of Pilot Commissioners, and in 1857 was appointed a New York Harbor Commissioner.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Life
He was the oldest of four sons of Edmund March Blunt (1770-1862), a newspaper publisher and book seller in Newburyport, who in 1796 compiled and published the American Coast Pilot, a description of all ports on the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
coast with sailing directions, lists of lighthouses and other important nautical information. In 1802, Edmund M. Blunt published the American Practical Navigator by Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch
Nathaniel Bowditch was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book The New American Practical Navigator, first published in 1802, is still carried on board every commissioned U.S...
who became the godfather of Joseph's younger brother Nathaniel Bowditch Blunt
N. Bowditch Blunt
Nathaniel Bowditch Blunt was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
.
Joseph Blunt first came into notice by writing on the Missouri question in 1820. Soon afterward he wrote an article on the Laibach circular
Congress of Laibach
The Congress of Laibach was a conference of the allied sovereigns or their representatives, held in 1821 as part of the so-called Concert of Europe, which was the decided attempt of the Great Powers to settle international problems after the Napoleonic Wars through discussion and collective weight...
, published in the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
, which attracted the attention of politicians. In 1825, he published a Historical Sketch of the Formation of the American Confederacy (8 vol.), and from 1827 to 1835 he edited the American Annual Register. He also published Speeches, Reviews, and Reports (1843) and Merchants' and Shipmasters' Assistant (1829 and 1848).
He was long a leading Whig and protectionist. In 1851, Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
appointed him Commissioner to China, but he declined to take office. In September 1855
New York state election, 1855
The 1855 New York state election was held on November 6, 1855, to elect the Secretary of State, the State Comptroller, the Attorney General, the State Treasurer, the State Engineer, two judges of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as...
, he was a delegate to the Anti-Nebraska
Anti-Nebraska Party
The Anti-Nebraska Party was an American political party formed in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Its founders, including Salmon P. Chase, held deep moral opposition to slavery, and were thus appalled by legislation that could lead to more slave-holding states...
state convention in Syracuse
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
which merged with the Whigs to form the Republican Party in the State of New York.
In 1858, he was appointed by Gov. John A. King New York County District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Peter B. Sweeny
Peter B. Sweeny
Peter Barr Sweeny was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:He was the son of James Sweeny, who kept a hotel in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Mary Sweeny....
.
Brothers
Joseph's youngest brother, N. Bowditch BluntN. Bowditch Blunt
Nathaniel Bowditch Blunt was an American lawyer and politician from New York.-Life:...
, was New York County District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
from 1851 to 1854. The other two brothers, Edmund (1799-1866) and George William (1802-1878) followed their father's steps and got involved in nautical affairs. Edmund assisted Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler
Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler
Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler was a surveyor who worked mostly in the United States and also in Switzerland. He headed the United States Coast Survey and the Bureau of Weights and Measures.-Biography:...
in surveying the port of New York for the United States Coast Survey in 1817. George W. Blunt was for decades a member, and later secretary, of the Board of Pilot Commissioners, and in 1857 was appointed a New York Harbor Commissioner.
Sources
- The New York Civil List compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough, Stephen C. Hutchins and Edgar Albert Werner (1867; page 531)
- A Critical Dictionary of English Literature, and British and American Authors, Living and Deceased by Samuel Austin Allibone (page 212; Vol. 1; Childs & Peterson, Philadelphia, 1859)
- List of State Department officials
- THE ANTI-NEBRASKA CONVENTION.; Remarks of Joseph Blunt, Esq., on the Nomination of a State Ticket in NYT on October 2, 1854
- REPUBLICAN STATE CONVENTION in NYT on September 28, 1855
- DEATH OF GEO. W. BLUNT in NYT on April 20, 1878
- Obit of Capt. Edmund Blunt, Joseph Blunt's nephew, in NYT on January 25, 1894