Luke P. Blackburn
| Luke P. Blackburn | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 28th Governor of Kentucky | |
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In office September 2, 1879 – September 5, 1883 |
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| Lieutenant | James E. Cantrill |
| Preceded by | James B. McCreary |
| Succeeded by | J. Proctor Knott |
| Kentucky State Representative | |
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In office 1843–1844 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Luke Pryor Blackburn June 16, 1816 Woodford County, Kentucky |
| Died | September 14, 1887 (aged 71) Frankfort, Kentucky |
| Political party | |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Relations | J. C. S. Blackburn (brother) |
| Alma mater | Transylvania University |
| Profession | Physician |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Confederate States of America
|
| Years of service | 1862-1864 |
| Rank | surgeon, blockade runner |
Luke Pryor Blackburn (June 16, 1816 – September 14, 1887) was an American physician, philanthropist, and politician from Kentucky. He was elected the 28th governor of Kentucky, serving from 1879 to 1883. Until the election of Ernie Fletcher in 2003, Blackburn was the only physician to serve as governor of Kentucky. After earning a medical degree at Transylvania University, Blackburn moved to Natchez, Mississippi, and gained national fame for implementing the first successful quarantine against yellow fever in the Mississippi River valley in 1848. He came to be regarded as an expert on yellow fever and often worked pro bono to combat outbreaks. Among his philanthropic ventures was the construction of a hospital for boatmen working on the Mississippi River using his personal funds. He later successfully lobbied Congress to construct a series of similar hospitals along the Mississippi.
Although too old to serve in the military, Blackburn supported the Confederate cause during the Civil War. In the early days of the war, he acted as a civilian agent for the governments of Kentucky and Mississippi. By 1863, he was aiding Confederate blockade runners in Canada. In 1864, he traveled to Bermuda to help combat a yellow fever outbreak that threatened Confederate blockade running operations there. Shortly after the war's end, a Confederate double agent accused him of having carried out a plot to start a yellow fever epidemic in the Northern United States that would have hampered the Union war effort. Blackburn was accused of collecting linens and garments used by yellow fever patients and smuggling them into the Northern states to be sold. The evidence against Blackburn was considerable, although much of it was either circumstantial or provided by witnesses of questionable reputation. Although he was acquitted by a Toronto court, public sentiment was decidedly against him throughout much of the United States. Today, historians still disagree as to the strength of the evidence supporting Blackburn's role in the alleged plot. Any plot of this nature was destined to fail, however; in 1900, Walter Reed discovered that yellow fever is spread by mosquitoes, not by contact.
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