Charles W.
Fairbanks
March 4, 1905 - March 4, 1909
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.
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.
Fairbanks once again resumed the practice of law in Indianapolis,
but his health started to fail. He died on June 4, 1918 in his home
of nephritis. 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.
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