{{Short description|American newspaper editor and politician (1835 – 1896)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = David Blakeley | office = 3rd Minnesota Secretary of State | image = File:David Blakeley.jpg | caption = Blakeley c.1865 | predecessor = James H. Baker | successor = Henry C. Rogers | term_start = November 17, 1862 | term_end = January 8, 1866 | office2 = Chief Clerk of the Minnesota House of Representatives | predecessor2 = Jared Benson | term_end2 = 1862 | term_start2 = 1861 | successor2 = Alfred B. Webber | birth_date = December 7, 1835 | birth_place = Binghamton, New York, U.S. | death_date = November 7, 1896 | death_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | resting_place = Upper Plain Cemetery<br/>Bradford, Vermont, U.S. }}

'''David Blakeley''' (December 7, 1835 – November 7, 1896), sometimes spelled as '''David Blakely''', was an American newspaper editor, businessman, and politician who served two terms as the chief clerk of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1861 to 1862 and two terms as the third Minnesota Secretary of State from 1862 to 1866. Blakeley later served as the band manager of both Patrick Gilmore and John Philip Sousa.

== Early life == David Blakeley was born on December 7, 1835, in Binghamton, New York.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Leonard |first=Joseph A. |url=https://archive.org/details/mn-olmsted-1910-leonard/page/86/mode/2up |title=History of Olmsted County, Minnesota |date=1910 |publisher=Goodspeed Historical Association |location=Chicago |pages=86–87 |language=en}}</ref> At a very young age Blakeley's family moved to East Berkshire, Vermont.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=November 13, 1896 |title=Death of Hon. David Blakely |url=https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/lccn/sn85025572/1896-11-13/ed-1/seq-4 |access-date=April 9, 2026 |work=The Record and Union |pages=4}}</ref> While in Vermont Blakeley was trained in the printing trade before moving in to Bancroft Township in modern-day Freeborn County (then part of Mower County) in Minnesota Territory in 1856 where he established a newspaper.<ref name=":0" /> Not finding success in Bancroft, Blakeley moved to Austin, Minnesota where he established another newspaper, the ''Mower County Mirror'', and was the local Recorder of Deeds.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Curtiss-Wedge |first=Franklyn |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmowerco00curt/page/62/mode/2up? |title=The History of Mower County, Minnesota: Illustrated |date=1911 |publisher=H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. |location=Chicago |pages=63, 164, 310–311 |language=en}}</ref> In 1859 Blakeley moved to Rochester, Minnesota where he established the ''Rochester'' ''City Post'' newspaper.<ref name=":0" />

== Printing career == Throughout his life in Minnesota Blakeley and his brothers were each heavily involved in the printing and editing of various newspapers including the ''Rochester Post'', the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press'', and the ''Minneapolis Tribune''.<ref>{{cite web |last=University of Minnesota Libraries |title=David Blakely |url=https://mn.electionarchives.lib.umn.edu/candidate/david-blakely/ |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Minnesota Historical Election Archive}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> According to the Minnesota Historical Society Blakeley and his two brothers Amherst W. Blakeley and Clarence Blakeley were responsible for the 1875 merging of the ''St. Paul Pioneer'' and the ''St. Paul Press'' to form the ''St. Paul Pioneer Press''.<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=Rochester Record and Union |url=https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/hub/the-record-and-union |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Minnesota Historical Society |ref={{sfnref|Minnesota Historical Society|2026}}}}</ref> Later in 1865 when Blakeley lived in Illinois he purchased and improved the ''Chicago Evening Post''.<ref name=":1" /> Blakeley later owned and operated the Chicago-based ''Blakely Printing Company''.<ref name=":1" />

== Politics == Beginning in 1860 Blakeley ran for the political office of chief clerk of the Minnesota House of Representatives which he won and eventually served as Chief Clerk for the 3rd Minnesota Legislature and the 4th Minnesota Legislature.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives, 1849-Present |url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/history/officer?position=chiefclerk |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Minnesota Legislative Reference Library |ref={{sfnref|Minnesota Legislative Reference Library}}}}</ref> Blakeley later ran as a Republican in the 1863 Secretary of State Election for the position of Minnesota Secretary of State against Minnesota Democrat Amos Coggswell.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=University of Minnesota Libraries |title=1863 Secretary of State Election |url=https://mn.electionarchives.lib.umn.edu/election/2318631099922600/ |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Minnesota Historical Election Archive}}</ref> Blakeley won 60.73% of the vote with a majority margin of +21.46%.<ref name=":2" /> Blakeley was preceded by James H. Baker succeeded by Henry C. Rogers.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 7, 1901 |title=Office of the State Of Minnesota Secretary of State |url=https://www.sos.mn.gov/about-the-office/about-the-office/secretaries-of-state-since-1858/ |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=Minnesota Secretary Of State |ref={{sfnref|Minnesota Secretary Of State|1901}}}}</ref>

== Later life == In 1880 Blakeley abandoned the newspaper industry and instead chose to focus on managing the bands of both Patrick Gilmore and John Philip Sousa.<ref name=":1" /> A large number of papers and archival materials pertinent to Blakeley's time spent with both Sousa and Gilmore between 1892 and 1896 are held by the New York Public Library.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 26, 2013 |title=David Blakely papers |url=https://archives.nypl.org/mss/315 |access-date=April 9, 2026 |website=archives.nypl.org |ref={{sfnref|archives.nypl.org|2013}}}}</ref> During a tour in New York Blakeley died suddenly at Carnegie Hall on November 7, 1896, after receiving a head injury during a bicycle accident several weeks earlier while in Bradford, Vermont where he was later buried.<ref name=":1" />

== Personal life == Blakeley was married to Adeline "Addie" Low of Vermont in 1858, together they had four children.<ref name=":1" />

== In popular culture == Blakeley is portrayed by American actor Thomas Browne Henry in the 1952 American biographical film ''Stars and Stripes Forever''.<ref>{{IMDb title|0045187|Stars and Stripes Forever}}</ref>

== References == <references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blakeley, David}} Category:1835 births Category:1896 deaths Category:19th-century people from Minnesota Category:People from Binghamton, New York Category:American music managers Category:Music managers Category:Music industry Category:Minnesota politicians Category:Secretaries of state of Minnesota Category:Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives