Charles Warren Fairbanks
(May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was a Senator from Indiana
and the
26th
Vice President of
the United States.
Born in a
log cabin near Unionville
Center
, Ohio
, Fairbanks's
ancestry traced back to Puritan followers of Oliver Cromwell, with Jonathan Fayerbankes the first family
member to reach America in 1632. The son of a wagon-maker,
Fairbanks in his youth saw his family's home used as a hiding place
for runaway slaves.
After attending country schools and working
on a farm, Fairbanks attended Ohio Wesleyan University
, where he graduated in 1872. While there,
Fairbanks was co-editor of the school newspaper with
Cornelia Cole, whom he married after both
graduated from the school.
Fairbanks,
Alaska
is named after Charles W. Fairbanks.
Early career
Fairbanks'
first position was as an agent of the Associated Press in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
, reporting on political rallies for Horace Greeley during the 1872 presidential
election. Fairbanks then moved to Cleveland, Ohio
, where he briefly attended law school before his
admittance to the Ohio bar in
1874. He then moved to Indianapolis,
Indiana
, the same year.
During his early years in Indiana, Fairbanks was paid $5,000 a year
as manager for the bankrupt Indianapolis, Bloomington and Western
Railroad. With the assistance of his uncle,
Charles W. Smith, whose connections had helped him
obtain the position, Fairbanks was able to become a railroad
financier, and served as counsel for millionaire
Jay Gould.
Prior to the
1888 Republican
Convention, federal judge
Walter
Q. Gresham sought Fairbanks's
help in seeking the nomination for
U.S. President.
While the bid was ultimately unsuccessful, Fairbanks began to take
an even greater interest in politics, falling short in a campaign
for the
United States Senate in
1893.
He was elected as a
Republican to the
United States Senate in 1896, after
having delivered the keynote address during the convention that
nominated
William McKinley for
President.
Senator
During his eight years in the U.S. Senate, Fairbanks served as a
key adviser to McKinley during the
Spanish-American War and was also the
Chairman of the
Committee on
Immigration and the
Committee on Public
Buildings and Grounds.
In 1898, Fairbanks was appointed a member of
the United
States
and British
Joint High
Commission which met in Quebec City
for the adjustment of Canadian
questions, including the boundary dispute about
Alaska
.
Vice President
He was elected Vice President of the United States in 1904 on the
Republican ticket with
Theodore
Roosevelt and served all four years. Fairbanks sought the
Republican nomination for President but Roosevelt (who chose to not
seek reelection) supported
William
Howard Taft as his potential successor in 1908, sending
Fairbanks back to the practice of law. In 1912, Fairbanks supported
Taft's re-election against Roosevelt's Bull Moose candidacy.
Hughes' running-mate
In 1916, Fairbanks was in charge of establishing the platform for
the Republican party. In 1916, he sought the Republican
presidential nomination, and
although he failed in that bid, he did win the nomination for
vice president under
Charles Evans Hughes on June
10. Five months later, Hughes and Fairbanks lost a close election
to the Democratic incumbents
Woodrow
Wilson and
Thomas
Marshall.
After Politics and Death
Fairbanks in his elder years.
Fairbanks once again resumed the practice of law in Indianapolis,
but his health started to fail in the year prior to his death.
He was
interred in Crown Hill
Cemetery
.
The city
of Fairbanks, Alaska, the Fairbanks
North Star Borough
it lies within, and the Fairbanks School District in
Union
County, Ohio
are named after him.
Ohio Historical Marker in Unionville
Center commemorating Fairbanks' birthplace.
On Friday, May 15, 2009, an Ohio
historical marker was dedicated in
Unionville Center, commemorating Fairbanks' birthplace.
References
- Harvey, Official Proceedings of the Republican National
Convention, 1904, pp 23 - 32, Original from Harvard University,
Digitized Oct 26, 2007
- Patrick Dundr, Fairbanks historical marker, Marysville
Journal-Tribune, May 16, 2009
See also
External links