Ephraim Blaine

Colonel Ephraim Blaine (1741–1804) was an early Pennsylvania settler who served as commissary-general for the middle district of the Continental Army under General George Washington. His great-grandson was Speaker of the House and 1884 presidential nominee James G. Blaine.

Blaine was born in County Londonderry, Ireland in 1741, the son of James Blaine and his wife, Isabella. The family moved to Pennsylvania in 1745 when Ephraim was four years old. The Blaine family settled near the western frontier in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, later relocating to the east, in Cumberland County. He received some schooling at Dr. Francis Alison's New London Academy in Chester County, then returned to the family homestead. In his early twenties, Blaine fought in the French and Indian War, and was among the defenders of Fort Pitt from the forces of Chief Pontiac in the subsequent Pontiac's War. After the wars ended and commerce resumed with the Native American tribes, Blaine began a career trading with them and became one of the wealthiest men in western Pennsylvania.

Blaine married Rebecca Galbraith in 1765 and three sons, Robert, James, and David, were born to them in quick succession. Remaining in Cumberland County, Blaine was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly in 1770. From 1771 to 1773, he served as county sheriff. In 1774, he was chosen as a member of the county's Committee for Observation, which was formed to observe and address concerns with the royal government.

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