If you want to visit Blaine County, you have four options. You could visit Idaho’s Blaine County, located in south-central Idaho, encompassing parts of the Wood River watershed, and the towns of Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum, and Sun Valley, but counties in Montana, Nebraska, and Oklahoma also claim this namesake. The name Blaine is not as familiar as Washington or Adams—both named counties in Idaho and countless other places across the country, and surnames of former US Presidents—and therefore, it begs the question, who was Blaine and did the naming of this Idaho county influence its development or sense of place over time?

Interestingly, the four Blaine Counties named across the country all pay homage to Mr. James Gillespie Blaine, born on January 31, 1830, in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania. He was a prominent figure in late 19th-century American politics, and despite having no direct connections to Idaho, his political career and influence shaped the national landscape during a period of significant westward expansion and development. Blaine’s political journey began in Maine, where he moved in 1854 to become editor of the Kennebec Journal. His charismatic personality and oratorical skills quickly propelled him into the political arena. He ran for Congress as a Republican in 1862 and served as Speaker of the House from 1869 to 1875.[1] He also served as a US Senator and two-term Secretary of the State, first under President James A. Garfield in 1881 and later under President Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1892.[2] His political aspirations eventually steered him towards America’s highest office, and although he secured the Republican nomination for president in 1884, he narrowly lost the general election to Grover Cleveland due to allegations of corruption, particularly concerning railroad charters.

Despite losing his presidential bid, Blaine’s constituents supported him because of his moderate reformist stance within the Republican Party. He endorsed black suffrage during Reconstruction but opposed the policies of the more radical Republicans. Initially favoring high tariffs, he later worked to lower them and expand international trade. As Secretary of State, he tangibly shaped foreign policy by advocating for increased US involvement in Latin America. In this work, he strengthened ties between North and South America and instigated a more active American presence in the Western Hemisphere.

Despite never having direct ties to Idaho, Blaine’s policies and the era he represented had significant implications for western states like Idaho. His support for railroad expansion and international trade indirectly influenced the development and economy of frontier states during rapid growth and industrialization. For this reason, Idaho’s early legislators bestowed upon a county cut from Alturas and Logan Counties, the name of Blaine County, on March 5, 1895. However, these original boundaries changed less than two weeks later, when on March 18, 1895, the state legislature created Lincoln County—named for Lincoln—Mr. Abraham.[3]

James Blaine did not live to see his namesake county created in Idaho, the long-term impact of the arrival of the railroad and the growth of the extractive industry, its sheep heritage, or its transition from its 19^th-century boom to a tourist and recreationist’s dream. He died on January 27, 1893, in Washington, D.C., leaving a legacy as one of the most influential American statesmen of the late 19th century.

Written by HannaLore Hein

Photographs:

Hon. James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House, 1869, Maine Memory Network #6427, Main Historical Society, https://www.mainememory.net/record/6427

[1] “James Gillespie Blaine – People – Department History – Office of the Historian,” accessed November 15, 2024, https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/blaine-james-gillespie.

[2] “James G. Blaine | 19th Century US Secretary of State | Britannica,” accessed November 15, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/James-G-Blaine.

[3] Idaho State Archives Reference Series #10, “Counties and County Seats,” n.d., Idaho State Archives