available sources for Supreme Court decisions. The Indiana General Assembly later approved and funded the publishing of the two-volume Indiana Reports, which was authored by the court reporter and reported the entirety of the decisions of the Supreme Court. Blackford's Reports still remained more popular because of their superior style and quality. His reports were noted by readers for their concision, accuracy, and diction. They soon became popular in other US states where common law was used. Within a decade his reports had spread internationally; his reports were published in Britain and Canada where they were used as a legal resource. Evidencing the popularity of his reports, Washington Irving, while serving as a United States diplomat to the United Kingdom at the Court of St. James's, wrote to his superiors in Washington D.C. requesting information on Blackford. He reported that Blackford's Reports were well known in Westminster and regularly used by the judiciary, and Irving compared him to William Blackstone. The attribution stuck with Blackford, and earned him the nickname "Indiana Blackstone." His reports by then had become a staple in law schools and a necessity in most law firms in the United States. Between the time the books were published, and until 1930, his reports were cited in court decisions over 4,000 times by Indiana courts, over 3,000 times in other US state courts, over 1,400 times by federal courts and the United States Supreme Court, more than 350 times in Canadian courts, and more than 75 in British courts. Additionally, his decisions were cited over 400 times from Indiana Reports. The use of his reports in law schools became less common beginning in the early 1900s as many states' civil codes began to become more developed and reliance on common law was less frequent. His reports, however, remain a regularly used tool in cases where common law is still applied. Blackford was a trustee for Indiana College (now Indiana University Bloomington) from 1838 to 1841. During that time the college published his reports on their printing press. Appointments & electoral failures In 1825 Blackford was nominated, without his knowledge, as the Whig candidate for governor of Indiana. Because of his position on the courts, he refused to campaign on his own behalf against his opponent. In the election he was defeated by James B. Ray with 13,140 votes to his 10,418. The following year, he was nominated for