Governor Blair died in 1894. In 1895, the Michigan legislature appropriated $10,000 and directed that a statue honoring him be placed on the east side of the Capitol building. The legislature also provided that the Governor appoint three Commissioners, at least two of which were members of the Union army, to procure the statue. The Commission chose Edward Clark Potter as the sculptor. Potter, of Enfield, Massachusetts, executed the bronze for $7,200. Potter was responsible for many other works, primarily on the east coast, but in 1909 he also sculpted the Custer monument in Monroe for the State of Michigan. The statue of Blair was cast by the Bureau Brothers Founders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The pedestal was designed by Donaldson and Meier, architects, of Detroit, and is of Milford granite. It was executed by C. W. Hills of Jackson, Michigan at a cost of $2,293.94.
Dedicated on October 12, 1898, this bronze statue commemorates Michigan's Civil War Governor, who served the state from 1861 to 1864.
Source: A Walking Tour of Capitol Square. Provided by: Capitol Tour Guide Services