Results for Charles W. Fairbanks
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US Government Guide:

Charles Fairbanks

, Vice President

Born: May 11, 1852, Unionville Center, Ohio
Political party: Republican
Education: Ohio Wesleyan University, B.A., 1872
Military service: none
Previous government service: U.S. Senate, 1898–1904
Vice President under Theodore Roosevelt, 1905–9
Died: June 4, 1918, Indianapolis, Ind.

Charles Fairbanks was a lawyer who became active in Republican state politics in Indiana. He was named the temporary chair and keynote speaker at the Republican national convention in 1896. The following year he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he chaired several important committees and served on a diplomatic commission that settled the Canadian-Alaskan boundary.

Fairbanks was nominated to run for Vice President on Theodore Roosevelt's ticket in 1904 to provide geographic balance and secure the electoral votes of Indiana. A conservative, he exercised no influence in the progressive Roosevelt administration. He later supported William Howard Taft against Roosevelt in the 1912 Presidential election. The Republicans again nominated him for Vice President in 1916 on a ticket headed by Supreme Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes.

 
 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Fairbanks, Charles Warren,
1852–1918, Vice President of the United States (1905–9), b. Union co., Ohio. He became wealthy as a railroad lawyer in Indianapolis, rose in Republican politics, and served in the U.S. Senate from 1897 to 1905. Fairbanks was recognized as the spokesman of President McKinley and of the conservatives and was chosen as vice presidential candidate with Theodore Roosevelt primarily to attract the conservative vote. He continued to dominate his party in Indiana and was in 1916 again vice presidential candidate, this time on the unsuccessful ticket with Charles Evans Hughes.
 
Wikipedia: Charles W. Fairbanks
Charles Warren 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
January 5, 1897 – March 3, 1905
Preceded by Daniel W. Voorhees
Succeeded by James A. Hemenway

Born May 11 1852(1852--)
Flag of the United States Unionville Center, Ohio
Died June 4 1918 (aged 66)
Flag of the United States Indianapolis, Indiana
Nationality american
Political party Republican
Spouse Cornelia Cole Fairbanks
Signature Charles W. Fairbanks's signature

Charles Warren Fairbanks (May 11, 1852June 4, 1918) was a Senator from Indiana and the twenty-sixth Vice President of the United States.

Born in a log cabin near Unionville Center, Ohio, Fairbanks's ancestry traced back to Oliver Cromwell, with Jonathan Fayerbankes the first family member to reach America in 1632. The son of a wagon-maker, Fairbanks's formative years saw his family's home used as a hiding place for runaway slaves. After attending country schools and working on a farm, Fairbanks left for Ohio Wesleyan University, where he graduated in 1872. While there, Fairbanks served as co-editor of the school newspaper with Cornelia Cole, whom he married after both graduated from the school.

Early career

Fairbanks's 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, then moved to Indianapolis, Indiana the same year.

During his early years in Indiana, Fairbanks was paid $5,000 a year after being appointed 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 parlay his position into a lucrative role as a railroad financier, including serving 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.

Vice President

Fairbanks and Theodore Roosevelt.
Enlarge
Fairbanks and Theodore Roosevelt.

He was elected Vice President of the United States in 1904 on the Republican ticket with Theodore Roosevelt and served all four years. In something of a surprise, Roosevelt (who chose to not seek reelection) supported William Howard Taft as his potential successor 1908, sending Fairbanks back to the practice of law.

Hughes' running-mate

In 1912, Fairbanks was in charge of establishing the platform for the Republican party, then four years later, sought the Republican presidential nomination. While 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. Although unsuccessful, it should be noted however that Fairbanks was the second of two former Vice Presidents to be nominated by his party for his former office. (The other was Democrat Adlai E. Stevenson in 1900.)

After Politics and Death

Fairbanks in his elder years.
Enlarge
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 within Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska is named after him.

See also

External links

Preceded by
Daniel W. Voorhees
United States Senator (Class 3) from Indiana
18971905
Served alongside: David Turpie, Albert J. Beveridge
Succeeded by
James A. Hemenway
Preceded by
Theodore Roosevelt
Republican Party vice presidential candidate
1904 (won)
Succeeded by
James S. Sherman
Vice President of the United States
March 4, 1905March 4, 1909
Preceded by
Nicholas M. Butler
Republican Party vice presidential candidate
1916 (lost)
Succeeded by
Calvin Coolidge

 
 

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Copyrights:

US Government Guide. The Oxford Guide to the United States Government. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1998, 2001, 2002 by John J. Patrick, Richard M. Pious, Donald M. Ritchie. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Charles W. Fairbanks" Read more

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