Leading Lawyer; Respected Citizen; Judge; School Board Member; A Founding Member of one of State�s Oldest Law Firms

Alexander Clement Blount, Jr. and his brother, William Alexander Blount founded one of the oldest and most respected law firms in the state, Blount & Blount. Their father, A. C. Blount, Sr., and William A. Blount (both interred in St. Michaels Cemetery) were early leaders in Pensacola and the state. Among many other accomplishments, W. A. Blount developed the Blount Building, a cornerstone in downtown Pensacola.

A. C. Blount, Jr., according to Garnier Blount Minnich, was born in 1860 in the original Tivoli House at which time it was a boarding house and meeting place in Pensacola. (The Tivoli House, built by the Spanish in 1805, later burned down and was partially reconstructed at 205 East Zaragosa Street in 1976). Although he was �sickly a lot of the times� with a congenital heart condition he lived a very productive life to the age of 63 years. He received his preliminary education in Pensacola. After graduation from Peabody College in Nashville he returned to Pensacola to study law in the office of his brother, W. A. Blount. In 1887 he married Clara Garnier Dorr (see vignette about her family on this web site). He enjoyed poetry. A collection of his poems along with other papers is preserved in the Special Collections Library at the University of West Florida.

Their son, A. C. Blount, III, married Mary Ida Saunders, also a member of a very distinguished Pensacola family (see vignette of John Richard Saunders on this web site). A. C. Blount, III became a Captain in the Infantry in WWI, a lawyer and, later, Secretary & Executive Manager, Executive Vice President, President, then Chairman of the Board (later, Emeritus) of Mutual Building & Loan (this became First Mutual; then Am South bank); he was a member of Christ Episcopal Church, a 33rd degree Mason and a member of the Society of the Cincinnati; as a member of the City Council and for many civic endeavors, he received many honors and awards.

When Judge Blount retired in 1921, The Pensacola News editorial stated: �The well-known law firm of Blount & Blount & Carter has dissolved, Judge A. C. Blount retiring from the firm. The late firm will be succeeded by the new firm of Blount, Carter & Yonge, consisting of W. A. Blount, Francis B. Carter and J. E. D. Yonge.

Judge Blount has not been in the best of health during the past two years and has not been taking an active part in the affairs of his firm. He is regarded as one of the state�s leading lawyers and is recognized as one of Pensacola�s best citizens. His friends and the public in general have learned with regret that he has decided to retire from the practice of his profession and he takes with him the esteem and good will of his fellow-citizens and the best wishes of the members of his profession.

Judge Blount has been a life-long resident of Pensacola. He has served as judge of the criminal court of record and as a member of the local school board and in other capacities. And in his private life, as well as in public office, he has been all that a good citizen and a faithful official should be.�

The firm, started by the two brothers later became �Yonge, Beggs & Lane�, then �Beggs & Lane� and, today, remains one of the largest and most highly respected firms in the area.

A. C. Blount, Jr. died July 5, 1923. His ashes are interred in St. John�s Cemetery in 3 North, Section 37. In the same section of St. John�s, the ashes of A. C. Blount, III (1889-1978) were sprinkled between the graves of his first two wives Mary Ida Saunders Blount (the mother of his four children) and Viola Ard Blount (no children).