Henry Theodore Blair was born in Wilkes County, North Carolina, on March 25, 1887. Before World War I, Blair worked at his brother's business, Blair & Co. Grocery. A graduate of Davidson College, he served as a captain in the U.S. Medical Corps during World War I. He remained in the army reserve after the war, rising to the rank of colonel. After the war, Blair moved to New York City where he worked for a textile export business and later as a financial advisor. He died in New York City on March 5, 1967.