Louis William Fairfield (October 15, 1858 – February 20, 1930) was an American educator and politician who served four terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1917 to 1925.

Biography

Born in a log cabin near Wapakoneta, Ohio, Fairfield moved to Allen County, Ohio, in 1866, and lived on a farm near Lima. After attending public school, he moved to

Middle Point, Ohio Middle Point is a village in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The population was 576 at the 2010 census. It is included within the Van Wert, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Middle Point was laid out in 1851. The town's original ...

, in 1872, teaching there for six months, before attending the Ohio Northern University at Ada in 1876. He continued teaching and attending school until 1888. He was editor of the Hardin County Republican at

Kenton, Ohio Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located in the west-central part of Ohio about 57 mi (92 km) northwest of Columbus and 70 mi (113 km) south of Toledo. Its population was 7,947 a ...

, in 1881 and 1882. He taught school in Middle Point in 1883 and 1884. He moved to Angola, Indiana, in 1885, as he was selected to help build Tri-State College there; Tri-State College later became

Trine University Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Tri ...

. He served as vice president and teacher at the Tri-State College from 1885 to 1917. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the State senate in 1912.

Congress

Fairfield was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fifth and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1917, to March 3, 1925. He served as chairman of the Committee on Insular Affairs during the Sixty-eighth Congress, from 1923 to 1925; he failed to be renominated by his party in 1924, thus terminating both his time as Congressman and his chairmanship.

Later career and death

After his time in Congress, he was occasionally engaged as a lecturer and lived in Angola, Indiana. He died in

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...

, while on a visit on February 20, 1930. He was interred in Circle Hill Cemetery, Angola, Indiana.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfield, Louis William 1858 births 1930 deaths People from Auglaize County, Ohio People from Allen County, Indiana People from Angola, Indiana Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana