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Durant, Horace Blair

soldier, physician, journalist, prohibitionist, poet, was born Dec. 27, 1828, in Washington county, Pa. He graduated from Jefferson college of Canonsburg, Pa., and for several years taught school. He then practiced medicine for about twenty years.

In 1861 he enlisted with the first troops from Pennsylvania, serving for awhile in the ranks as a private soldier, until assistant surgeon of commissioned fi his regiment. Dr. Durant has for many years been a pronounced advocate of political prohibition, being one of the St. John electors in 1884. In 1878, in conjunction with his wife, he published the first newspaper devoted to prohibition in Pennsylvania; and in 1884 wrote the first song-book of the prohibition party. He has been editor and founder of four papers in Pennsylvania. The poems of Dr. Durant have attracted considerable attention, and have been given a place in several standard works.