Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 3.djvu/276

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X'IRC.IXIA IIIOC.RAPHY

president of the Xational Capital Brewiiii^ Company, of Washington ; and director in the American Security and Trust Company, of Washington ; Riggs Fire Insurance Com- pany, of Washington ; National Bank of Washington; Virginia Midland Railway Company ; Washington & Ohio Railway Company ; National Bank of Manassas, \'ir- ginia ; Portner Brown Stone Company ; Loula Cotton Mills, and a number of other enterprises too numerous to mention. lie was a member of the board of aldermen of Alexandria. He took up his residence in Washington, D. C, in 1881, but still retain- ed his citizenship in Alexandria, and his summer residence, known as "Annaburg," was at Manassas, Virginia. He was a mem- ber of the Masonic order. Mr. Portner mar- ried, April 4, 1872. Anna von Valer, daugh- ter of Johann von \'aler. a native of Switz- erland. Mr. Portner died at "Annaburg.'" May 28, 1906.

Blackford, Launcelot Minor, born in Fred- ericksburg, \'irginia, February 23, 1837, son of William M. Blackford and Mary Berke- ley Minor, his wife. Mr. Blackford's father was an editor and bank cashier in Lynch- burg, and at one time he held an appoint- ment as charge d'affaires at Bogota. An American ancestor of Mr. Blackford was John Carter, of Corotoman, who came from England in 1630, and settled in \^irginia. Jc^hn's third wife, Sarah Ludlow, was the mother of Robert, familiarly known as "King Carter," who was the direct progeni- tor of Mr. Blackford. Launcelot M. Black- ford attended the best day schools of Lynch- burg. In i860 he took the degree of Master of Arts at the University of Virginia. When the civil war broke nut he enlisted as a pri-

vate in the Rockbridge artillery, composed largely of university and college graduates and students of theological seminaries, one of the most highly efficient body of soldiers that ever went from Virginia. Mr. Black- fcird afterward became clerk to the military court of Longstreet's corps, and later was ad- jutant of the Twenty-fourth Virginia Infan- try. After the war he became associate prin- cipal of the Norwood School, Nelson county, which was for many years one of the lead- ing boys' schools of Virginia, serving there from 1865 to 1870. In the latter year he be- came principal of the Episcopal high school, and the credit for its high reputation is largely due to the labors of ]Mr. Blackford. In 1904 Washington and Lee University conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. He is an Episcopalian; for forty years has sat in the annual councils of the diocese of Virginia ; has been three times elected to represent his diocese in the gen- eral convention, and since 1890 has been a member of the standing committee of the diocese. On August 5, 1884, he married Eliza Chew, daughter of Rev. John Ambler. Mr. Blackford's address is Alexandria, Vir- ginia.

Hundley, George Jefferson, born near Mobile, Alabama, March 22. 1838. son of Josiah Hundley and Cornelia Jeft'erson, his wife. On his father's side he is of mixed English and Huguenot blood ; on his mother's side he is great-great-grandson of Peter Jeft'erson, uncle of Thomas Jefferson. His mother and father died when he was an infant. He had two years tuition at Fleet- V, ood Academy and a year at Ilampden- Sidney College, supplementing his educa- tion liv rcadiiicf standard authors, lie en-