Edward Francis Blewitt

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Edward Francis Blewitt

| image = Edward F. Blewitt, portrait.jpg

| state_senate = Pennsylvania

| district = 22nd

| term_start = 1907

| term_end = 1910

| predecessor = Jacob Zern

| successor = Walter McNichols

| birth_date = {{birth date|1859|1|2}}

| birth_place = New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1926|5|26|1859|1|2}}

| death_place = Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| children = 4

| relatives = David Blewitt (grandson)
Joe Biden (great-grandson)

| education = Lafayette College (BS)

| caption = Blewitt in 1906

}}

Edward Francis Blewitt (January 2, 1859 {{En dash}} May 26, 1926) was an American civil engineer, businessman, and politician who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 22nd district from 1907 to 1910.{{cite news|url=http://www.lafayette.edu/about/?p=29444|title=Vice President Joe Biden Discusses American Innovation|author=Gehman, Geoff|date=May 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202110137/http://www.lafayette.edu/about/?p=29444&wpmp_switcher=mobile|archive-date=February 2, 2014|url-status=dead|publisher=Lafayette College}} He was a maternal great-grandfather of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States.{{cite news|url=http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2008/08/24/news/sc_times_trib.20080824.a.pg1.tt24biden_s1.1896121_top4.txt|title=Remembering his roots|author=Krawczeniuk, Borys|date=August 24, 2008|newspaper=The Times-Tribune|access-date=January 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406014842/http://www.scrantontimes.com/articles/2008/08/24/news/sc_times_trib.20080824.a.pg1.tt24biden_s1.1896121_top4.txt|archive-date=April 6, 2009|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |last1=Ryan |first1=Jim |title=How Vice President Joe Biden Trace His Irish Ancestry |url=https://ancestornetwork.ie/how-vice-president-joe-biden-traced-his-irish-ancestry/ |website=www.ancestornetwork.ie |date=20 June 2016 |access-date=26 April 2020}}

Early life and education

Blewitt was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Patrick and Catherine (née Scanlon) Blewitt, who were emigrants from Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland.{{cite web |last1=O'Neill |first1=Neill |title=US Vice President in Mayo this week |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/28028-us-vice-president-in-mayo-this-week |website=www.mayonews.ie |publisher=The Mayo News |access-date=26 April 2020 |archive-date=9 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009082136/https://www.mayonews.ie/news/28028-us-vice-president-in-mayo-this-week |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|last=Beresford|first=Jack|title=Joe Biden apologises for saying African Americans 'ain't black' if they consider voting for Donald Trump|url=https://www.irishpost.com/news/joe-biden-apologises-saying-african-americans-aint-black-even-consider-voting-donald-trump-185524|access-date=2020-06-24|website=The Irish Post}} Edward Francis Blewitt's grandfather Edward Blewitt had been an estate agent and construction project manager in Ballina.[https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/research/spotlight-research/how-joe-bidens-irish-ancestor-saved-thousands-lives-during-famine Maynooth University:Research:Spotlight Research:How Joe Biden's Irish ancestor saved thousands of lives during famine.] Blewitt attended Lafayette College, serving as class president, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1879.{{cite web |title=Pennsylvania State Senate - Edward F Blewett Biography |url=https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=5076&body=S |website=www.legis.state.pa.us |access-date=26 April 2020}}

Career

Blewitt worked as an engineer in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania mining operations.{{cite book |last1=Hudson |first1=Sam |title=Pennsylvania and Its Public Men |date=1909 |publisher=Hudson & Joseph |location=Philadelphia |pages=343–344 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o6cbAQAAMAAJ&dq=edward+francis+blewitt+pennsylvania&pg=PA343 |access-date=26 April 2020}} He worked as the City Engineer of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and as chief engineer of the Guadalajara, Mexico sewer and water system from 1883 to 1893. In 1883, he was elected to one term as school controller of Scranton ending in 1884. He worked as state engineer of the State of Jalisco, Mexico from 1900 to 1901.{{cite book |last1=Leonard |first1=John W. |title=Who's who in Pennsylvania: A Biographical Dictionary of Contemporaries, Volume 2 |date=1908 |publisher=L.R. Hamersly & Company |location=New York |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V08DAAAAYAAJ&q=edward+blewitt+senator&pg=PA77 |access-date=26 April 2020}}{{cite book |last1=Hatch |first1=D. Arthur |title=Biographical Record of the Men of Lafayette: 1832-1948 |date=1948 |publisher=Lafayette College |location=Easton, PA |page=62}}

In 1906, Blewitt was elected as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 22nd district from 1907 to 1910. Blewitt was the first Irish-Catholic to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.{{cite book |last1=Murray |first1=Gabriel |title=Obama's Irish Roots - The Lost History |date=2012 |publisher=Youcanprint Self Publishing |isbn=9788867517220 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Om0CAwAAQBAJ&q=Edward+F+Blewett&pg=PT161 |access-date=26 April 2020}}

In 1903, he founded the Edward F. Gold Mining Company, a silver and gold mining operation in Montana.

Blewitt was the co-founder of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick in Scranton in 1908 and was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.{{cite web|last1=O'Dowd|first1=Niall|title=Biden's Irish Roots|url=http://goballycastle.com/BidenIrishRoots.html|access-date=26 April 2020|website=www.globallycastle.com}}

Personal life

He married Mary Ellen Stanton in 1879. They had four children together: Gertrude, Patrick, Arthur, and Geraldine. From this marriage (through their daughter Geraldine), Blewitt is the matrilineal great-grandfather of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States. Through Blewitt's son Patrick, he is the grandfather of Ghostbusters editor David Blewitt. His wife died in 1887,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=os8wAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Miss+Mary+E.+Stanton%2C+was+born+in+Scranton%22&pg=PA644|title=Portrait and Biographical Record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania|date=1897|publisher=Chapman Publishing Company|location=New York and Chicago|page=644|access-date=26 April 2020}} and in 1891 Blewitt was remarried to Mary Ann Blackwell.

Blewitt died on May 26, 1926.