James G. Blaine (1830–1893) was an American statesman and Republican politician who represented Maine in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1876, serving as Speaker of the House from 1869 to 1875, and then in the Senate from 1876 to 1881. Born in Pennsylvania and a newspaper editor before entering politics, he twice served as the U.S. secretary of state, first in 1881 under President James A. Garfield and President Chester A. Arthur, and then from 1889 to 1892 under President Benjamin Harrison. Blaine unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1876 and 1880. He gained the nomination in 1884, but in the election, he was narrowly defeated by Democratic nominee Grover Cleveland. A charismatic speaker in an age that prized oratory, Blaine was a leading Republican of the late 19th century and a champion of the party's moderate reformist faction, later known as the "Half-Breeds". (This article is part of a featured topic: 1880 United States presidential election.). Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Featured_topics/1880_United_States_presidential_election> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1773: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart departed Italy after the last of his three journeys there. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_in_Italy> 1899: Cyclone Mahina struck Bathurst Bay, Queensland, killing over 300 people in one of the deadliest natural disasters in Australian history. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclone_Mahina> 1918: A case of influenza was recorded at Camp Funston, Kansas, conventionally marking the beginning of the Spanish flu pandemic. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu> 2017: Construction began on a 69-metre (226 ft) statue of the Buddha at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen in Bangkok. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wat_Paknam_Bhasicharoen> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: snake in the grass: (derogatory, informal) A hidden enemy. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/snake_in_the_grass> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   Nothing dies harder than a bad idea.   --Julia Cameron <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Julia_Cameron>