Erastus Fairbanks (October 28, 1792November 20, 1864) was an American manufacturer,
Whig politician, a founder of the
Republican Party, and the
21st and 26th governor of Vermont
The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...
.
Biography
Fairbanks was born in
Brimfield, Massachusetts
Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,694 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Brimfield was first settled in 1706 and was offi ...
, to Phebe (Paddock) Fairbanks (1760–1853) and Joseph Fairbanks (1763–1846).
Ephraim Paddock, the brother of Phebe Paddock, was his uncle. He studied law but abandoned it for mercantile pursuits, and operated a store in
Wheelock, Vermont
Wheelock is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 759 at the 2020 census.
History
The town was named after Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College. Through a provision of the college dating to , any f ...
. He married Lois Crossman (1792–1866) on May 30, 1815.
The couple had nine children.
Career
![Erastus Fairbanks - Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium - DSC04238](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Erastus_Fairbanks_-_Fairbanks_Museum_and_Planetarium_-_DSC04238.JPG)
Finally settling in
St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in 1824, Fairbanks formed a partnership,
E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., with his brother
Thaddeus
Thaddeus (Latin ''Thaddaeus'', Ancient Greek Θαδδαῖος ''Thaddaĩos'', from Aramaic תדי ''Ṯaday'') is a male given name.
As of the 1990 Census, ''Thaddeus'' was the 611th most popular male name in the United States, while ''Thad'', ...
for the manufacture of scales, stoves and
plow
A plough or plow ( US; both ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses, but in modern farms are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden, iron or ...
s. Thaddeus Fairbanks later invented the first platform scale, which made it possible to calculate the weight of farm products and other goods shipped by wagon and railroad car; the device proved so successful that the renamed
Fairbanks Scales
Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Alaska Interior, In ...
company became the largest employer in the state.
The Fairbanks family was involved in numerous charitable and civic endeavors throughout St. Johnsbury and the surrounding towns, including the 1842 founding of
St. Johnsbury Academy
St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) is an independent, private, coeducational, non-profit boarding and day school located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the United States. The academy enrolls students in grades 9-12. It was founded by Thaddeus Fairbanks ...
.
Fairbanks was a member of the
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
from 1836 to 1840. He was a Whig
Presidential Elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
for
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
in
1844
In the Philippines, it was the only leap year with 365 days, as December 31 was skipped when 1845 began after December 30.
Events
January–March
* January 15 – The University of Notre Dame, based in the city of the same name, receives ...
and
1848
1848 is historically famous for the wave of revolutions, a series of widespread struggles for more liberal governments, which broke out from Brazil to Hungary; although most failed in their immediate aims, they significantly altered the polit ...
. He was President of the
Passumpsic Railroad The Passumpsic Railroad was located in Barnet, Vermont. The railroad had the only operable steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It ...
, which completed a line from
White River to
St. Johnsbury in 1850. Though he would ultimately withdraw from the venture due to disputes about labor and planning with the
Boston Associates
The Boston Associates were a loosely linked group of investors in 19th-century New England. They included Nathan Appleton, Patrick Tracy Jackson, Abbott Lawrence, and Amos Lawrence. Often related directly or through marriage, they were based in ...
, Fairbanks and his company would be the first to fund the
Hadley Falls Dam project in 1846. The project, conceived by one of his salesmen and personal associates,
George C. Ewing, ultimately created
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...
.
Fairbanks was elected the 21st Governor of Vermont in 1852 and served until 1853. During this term, a law was passed
forbidding the sale or traffic of intoxicating beverages. The law was not repealed until 1902.
Fairbanks was one of the founders of the Republican Party, and a delegate from Vermont to the
first Republican National Convention in 1856. He was 26th Governor of Vermont from 1860 to 1861. During his second term he rendered valuable aid in the equipment and dispatch of troops in the early days of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
Family life
With his brothers Thaddeus and Joseph P., he founded
St. Johnsbury Academy
St. Johnsbury Academy (SJA) is an independent, private, coeducational, non-profit boarding and day school located in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in the United States. The academy enrolls students in grades 9-12. It was founded by Thaddeus Fairbanks ...
. He was the father of
Horace Fairbanks
Horace Fairbanks (March 21, 1820 – March 17, 1888) was an American politician and the 36th governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878.
Biography
Fairbanks was born in Barnet, Vermont, on March 21, 1820, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairb ...
and
Franklin Fairbanks.
Death
Fairbanks was a
Congregationalist. He died in St. Johnsbury,
Caledonia County, Vermont
Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...
, on November 20, 1864 (age 72 years, 23 days). He is interred at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, St. Johnsbury, Vermont.
References
Further reading
*Fairbanks, Lorenzo Sayles, ''Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America 1633–1897'', Boston, 1897.
External links
Ancestry.comFairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury, Vermont*
*
Fairbanks family papersat Vermont Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbanks, Erastus
1792 births
1864 deaths
People from Brimfield, Massachusetts
People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Governors of Vermont
Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
People of Vermont in the American Civil War
Vermont Whigs
Vermont Republicans
Union (American Civil War) state governors
Whig Party state governors of the United States
19th-century American politicians
Republican Party governors of Vermont
19th-century American businesspeople