Charles Warren Fairbanks

Politician, lawyer

• Born: May 11, 1852
• Birthplace: Unionville Center, Ohio
• Died: June 4, 1918
• Place of death: Indianapolis, Indiana

Significance: Charles Warren Fairbanks was an American politician and lawyer. He served as Indiana's Republican senator from 1897 to 1905. He then served as the twenty-sixth vice president of the United States under President Theodore Roosevelt. He also ran as the vice presidential nominee in the 1916 election alongside Republican presidential candidate Charles Evan Hughes.

Background

Charles Warren Fairbanks was born on May 11, 1852, in Unionville Center, Ohio. His father was a farmer and small business owner who made wagons for locals. He also was a member of the county's agricultural board. His mother, Mary Adelaide Smith, was a temperance advocate. The family business earned enough income to afford college tuition for Fairbanks. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he was an excellent student. He graduated in 1872, ranking eighth among the class's forty-four undergraduates. Fairbanks then worked as a reporter for the Western Associated Press while he continued his studies at Cleveland Law College. He completed his courses in just six months and passed the bar in 1874.

Fairbanks moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, and obtained a position as an attorney for the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad system. He proved to be very good at his work and built an exceptional reputation as a railroad lawyer, amassing a great fortune as a result. His clients primarily resided in the Midwest, and he specialized in bankruptcy cases. Fairbanks also came down hard on strikers. He prosecuted a number of individuals involved in the Indianapolis railroad strike of 1877. Fairbanks practiced law for twenty-three years in Indianapolis. He also secretly acquired a majority share of the Indianapolis News.

Although Fairbanks did not become an elected public official until the late 1890s, his influence over the state's Republican Party had grown immensely throughout his law career. He routinely donated large sums of money to various Republican political campaigns and advocated for party unity across the board. Fairbanks's ownership of the Indianapolis News also gave him an outlet to promote Republican causes. He later purchased the major media rival of the Indianapolis News, the Indianapolis Journal, which gave him further control over the state's press.

Overview

Fairbanks's connections made him many powerful friends in the Republican Party, including President William McKinley. The president invited Fairbanks to give the keynote address at the Republican Convention in 1896. The following year, the Indiana state legislature elected Fairbanks to the US Senate. He served on the Foreign Relations Committee during his tenure. He also was a strong supporter of President McKinley's governance during the Spanish-American War (1898). Fairbanks was a member of a commission on Alaskan affairs, and Alaska named the town of Fairbanks after him.

As a loyal Republican, Fairbanks earned the respect of his colleagues in the state legislature. The party considered him as a potential vice presidential nominee for the 1900 election under McKinley. Despite powerful supporters, he did not receive the nomination, which went to governor of New York Theodore Roosevelt. McKinley was assassinated shortly into his second term in 1901. Roosevelt took over presidential duties, but his progressive politics did not align with the more conservative stance of many party members. McKinley and his supporters, which included Fairbanks, were pro-business conservatives. Roosevelt's progressivism created a divide within the Republican Party. As he intended on running for a full term in the 1904 election, Roosevelt knew he needed to balance his ticket with a conservative vice presidential candidate. He selected Fairbanks as his running mate in an effort to appease the conservative wing of the party. Roosevelt and Fairbanks defeated Democratic opponents Alton Parker and Henry Davis and took office in January 1905.

Although Roosevelt had argued for a more expanded role for the vice president in previous years, Fairbanks's conservative views dissuaded the president from following through on his own advice. Fairbanks's role within the president's administration was limited. He was not invited to cabinet meetings and Roosevelt almost never consulted him about political affairs. Fairbanks spent most of his time in office presiding over Senate meetings. Despite his differences with the president, he was able to help pass several of Roosevelt's more progressive legislative programs including the Hepburn Act, which regulated railroad rates, and the Pure Food and Drug Act. As president of the Senate, Fairbanks worked to curb any unwanted oppositional legislation.

Fairbanks used his time in office to gather Republican support. He planned to campaign for the Republican presidential nomination for the 1908 election. Although Roosevelt announced he had no plans to run in the 1908 election, he did not give his support to his vice president. The president stood behind his friend and fellow progressive William Howard Taft. Roosevelt maneuvered to secure Taft the nomination, ruining Fairbanks's chances of becoming the Republican candidate.

After Taft's nomination and eventual win, Fairbanks returned to Indiana at the end of his term. He retired to the country and remained only mildly active in Indiana politics over the next few years. After spending some time leading a quiet life, he took a more active role in politics again in about 1914. The Republican Party had undergone a bitter divide in 1912 after Roosevelt decided to run on a third party ticket. Fairbanks emerged as an advocate for party unity, and Republicans praised him at the 1916 Republican National Convention. Although he was considered for the presidential nomination, Republicans instead chose Charles Evan Hughes and named Fairbanks his running mate. However, Hughes and Fairbanks lost the election to the Democratic ticket, which included Woodrow Wilson and his running mate, Thomas Marshall.

After the defeat, Fairbanks once again retired to Indiana. He stayed active in the Indiana Forestry Association, an organization he founded. He also visited a number of army camps throughout World War I (1914–1918). Fairbanks died of intestinal nephritis on June 14, 1918, at his home in Indiana.

Impact

Although Fairbanks had little impact on the Roosevelt administration during his term as vice president, he proved an agile and influential Senate president. Despite his own leanings and his strained relationship with Roosevelt, Fairbanks emphasized party unity. His unsuccessful bids for the presidency were attributed to his poor speechmaking skills and his uninspired political thinking. He did, however, know the ins and outs of the Senate and excelled at political organization and compromise. Fairbanks's skills earned him the respect of his peers, who often referred to him as a great politician.

Personal Life

Fairbanks married Cornelia Cole on October 6, 1874.

Bibliography

"Charles W. Fairbanks." Miller Center, millercenter.org/president/roosevelt/essays/fairbanks-1901-vicepresident. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.

"Charles W. Fairbanks." ​​Ohio History Central,www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Charles‗W.‗Fairbanks. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.

"Charles Warren Fairbanks, 26th Vice President (1905–1909)." United States Senate, www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP‗Charles‗Fairbanks.htm. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.

"Ex-Vice President Fairbanks Is Dead." New York Times, 5 June 1918, query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F0CE1D9163EE433A25756C0A9609C946996D6CF&legacy=true. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.

"Fairbanks, Charles Warren, (1852–1918)." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=f000003. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.

"Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks: Biography & Quotes." Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/vice-president-charles-w-fairbanks-biography-quotes.html. Accessed 26 Jan. 2018.