Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles W. Fairbanks | |
---|---|
26th Vice President of the United States | |
In office March 4, 1905 – March 4, 1909 | |
President | Theodore Roosevelt |
Preceded by | Theodore Roosevelt |
Succeeded by | James S. Sherman |
United States Senator from Indiana | |
In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1905 | |
Preceded by | Daniel W. Voorhees |
Succeeded by | James A. Hemenway |
Personal details | |
Born | Charles Warren Fairbanks May 11, 1852 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | |
Children | 5 |
Education | Ohio Wesleyan University (BA, MA) |
Signature | |
Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918) was an American politician who served as a
Born in Unionville Center, Ohio, Fairbanks moved to Indianapolis after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University. He became an attorney and railroad financier, working under railroad magnate Jay Gould. Fairbanks delivered the keynote address at the 1896 Republican National Convention and won election to the Senate the following year.[1] In the Senate, he became an advisor to President William McKinley and served on a commission that helped settle the Alaska boundary dispute.
The 1904 Republican National Convention selected Fairbanks as the running mate for President Theodore Roosevelt. As vice president, Fairbanks worked against Roosevelt's progressive policies. Fairbanks unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination at the 1908 Republican National Convention and backed William Howard Taft in 1912 against Roosevelt. Fairbanks sought the presidential nomination at the 1916 Republican National Convention, but was instead selected as the vice presidential nominee, with former Associate Justice and Governor Charles Evans Hughes, and would have been the third vice president to serve under different presidents (after George Clinton and John C. Calhoun), and the only one non-consecutively. The Hughes-Fairbanks ticket, however, narrowly lost to the Democratic ticket of President Woodrow Wilson and Vice President Thomas R. Marshall.
Early life
Fairbanks was born in a log cabin near Unionville Center, Ohio, the son of Mary Adelaide (Smith) and Loriston Monroe Fairbanks, a wagon-maker.[2] 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.[3]
Early career
Fairbanks's first position was as an agent of the
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
In 1894, Fairbanks was the most visible organizer and speaker on behalf of Republicans in elections for the state legislature. He was credited with delivering Republican majorities to both the Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana Senate, ensuring that a Republican would be elected to succeed Daniel W. Voorhees in the United States Senate at the end of Voorhees's term in 1897. At the 1896 Republican National Convention, Fairbanks was both temporary chairman and keynote speaker, further raising his public profile. Fairbanks was the most likely Republican candidate for Voorhees's seat, and in January 1897 Republican legislators formally chose him as their nominee. On January 19, 1897, Fairbanks was elected to the Senate, and he took his seat on March 4.
U.S. Senator
During his eight years in the U.S. Senate, Fairbanks served as a key advisor 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 Alaska boundary dispute.[1]
Vice presidency (1905–1909)
Fairbanks was elected vice president of the United States in 1904 on the Republican ticket with
Post-vice presidency (1909–1918)
Hughes's running mate
In
Death and legacy
Fairbanks died of nephritis in his home on June 4, 1918, at the age of 66, and he was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.[7]
Fairbanks received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1901, and from Northwestern University in 1907. The Charles W. Fairbanks Professor of Politics and Government position at Ohio Wesleyan University is named for him.
The city of Fairbanks, Alaska,[8] and the Fairbanks North Star Borough within which it lies; the Fairbanks School District in Union County, Ohio; Fairbanks, Minnesota; Fairbanks, Oregon; and Fairbanks Township, Michigan, are all named after him.
In 1966, the Indiana Sesquicentennial Commission placed an Indiana
See also
References
- ^ a b "S. Doc. 58-1 - Fifty-eighth Congress. (Extraordinary session -- beginning November 9, 1903.) Official Congressional Directory for the use of the United States Congress. Compiled under the direction of the Joint Committee on Printing by A.J. Halford. Special edition. Corrections made to November 5, 1903". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. 9 November 1903. p. 27. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "Charles Warren Fairbanks – vice president of United States". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ Harvey, Official Proceedings of the Republican National Convention, 1904, pp. 23–32, original from Harvard University, digitized October 26, 2007
- ^ "The Pittsburgh Press – Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.
- ISBN 9781438130712. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-307-77781-2.
- ^ "Indiana Statesman Succumbs to Intestinal Nephritis After Long Illness at His Home. His Political Career Began After He Was a Successful Railroad Attorney. Adept in Platform Making. Reporter for The Associated Press. Attorney for Jay Gould. Beginning of His Political Career. Roosevelt's Running Mate". The New York Times. June 5, 1918. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
Charles Warren Fairbanks, former Vice President of the United States and former United States Senator for Indiana, died at his home at 8:55 o'clock tonight.
- ^ Mark O. Hatfield, with the Senate Historical Office. Vice Presidents of the United States, 1789–1993 (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1997), pp. 313–321.
- ^ "Home of Charles Warren Fairbanks May 11, 1852 – June 4, 1918". Indiana Historical Bueau. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ Dundr, Patrick (May 16, 2009). "Fairbanks historical marker". Marysville Journal-Tribune.
External links
- The life and speeches of Hon. Charles Warren Fairbanks : Republican candidate for vice-president
- United States Congress. "Charles W. Fairbanks (id: F000003)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved August 28, 2010.