Hugh Blair

Hugh Blair FRSE (7 April 1718 – 27 December 1800) was a Scottish minister of religion, author and rhetorician, considered one of the first great theorists of written discourse.

As a minister of the Church of Scotland, and occupant of the Chair of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres at the University of Edinburgh, Blair's teachings had a great impact in both the spiritual and the secular realms. Best known for ''Sermons'', a five volume endorsement of practical Christian morality, and ''Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres'', a prescriptive guide on composition, Blair was a valuable part of the Scottish Enlightenment. Provided by Wikipedia