Born in Craven County, North Carolina, Blackledge was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons from 1797 to 1799 before being elected to the 8th United States Congress in 1802.
He served three consecutive terms, during which he was one of the House managers for the impeachment of John Pickering.
He ran for Congress unsuccessfully one final time before retiring from politics.
He was also the father of William Salter Blackledge, who served one term in the 17th United States Congress in the 1820s.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress