 Born in Pitt County, North Carolina the son of William Blackledge, who would himself become a Congressman from North Carolina, Blackledge moved to Craven County, North Carolina at an early age, eventually settling in New Bern.He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1813.Blackledge was elected to the North Carolina House of Commons in 1820, and soon afterwards was elected to the United States House of Representatives to fill the vacancy created by the death of Jesse Slocumb and was then elected to the 17th U.S. Congress.