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 September 14, 1828 |
| Died | September 5, 1908 (aged 79) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Bellefontaine Cemetery St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8 |
Biography
editAppoline 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
edit- ^ Buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis (findagrave.com).
- ^ "Francis P. Blair, Jr". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. July 10, 1868. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Francis Preston Blair Jr". HarpWeek. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
- ^ St. Louis Children's Hospital website.
- ^ Missouri Women, Health Sciences, Biographies (website).
- ^ Mentioned in online citations, but her actual involvement, if any, is unclear.
- ^ "Mrs. F. P. Blair is Dead". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. September 6, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved February 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.