 James Gillespie Blaine ( January 31 , 1830 – January 27 , 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 U.S. House of Representatives from 1869 to 1875 , and then in the United States Senate from 1876 to 1881 . He twice served as Secretary of State ( 1881 , 1889 – 1892 ) , one of only two persons to hold the position under three separate presidents ( the other being Daniel Webster ) , and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President in 1876 and 1880 before being nominated in 1884 . In the general election , he was narrowly defeated by Democrat Grover Cleveland . Blaine was one of the late 19th century 's leading Republicans and champion of the moderate reformist faction of the party known as the " Half @-@ Breeds " . 
