Horace Fairbanks
Encyclopedia
Horace Fairbanks was the 36th Governor of Vermont
from 1876 to 1878.
He was born in Barnet, Vermont
, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairbanks
(who had been a Republican
Governor of Vermont
) and his wife Lois Crossman. He was educated in the county schools and Phillips Andover Academy. He became confidential clerk of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. at age twenty, eventually becoming partner and then president. He was elected to the Vermont State Senate. He was manufacturer of the world’s first platform scale
. He promoted the construction of a railway line from Portland to Ogdensburg via the White Mountain Notch, and became president of the Vermont division of the railroad, as well as president of the First National Bank of St. Johnsbury, Vermont
.
He married Mary E. Taylor on August 9, 1840. They had three children.
In 1871 he presented to St. Johnsbury the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
, incorporating a free public library
containing 8,000 volumes and an art gallery
. He was a trustee of the University of Vermont
and Andover Seminary.
He was elected Governor of Vermont
in 1876, serving a two-year term.
Fairbanks died in New York City.
Governor of Vermont
The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
from 1876 to 1878.
He was born in Barnet, Vermont
Barnet, Vermont
Barnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,690 at the 2000 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet.-Geography:...
, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairbanks
Erastus Fairbanks
Erastus Fairbanks was an American manufacturer and Whig politician.He studied law but abandoned it for mercantile pursuits, finally settling in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, where in 1824 he formed a partnership with his brother Thaddeus for the manufacture of scales, stoves and plows...
(who had been a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Governor of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
) and his wife Lois Crossman. He was educated in the county schools and Phillips Andover Academy. He became confidential clerk of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. at age twenty, eventually becoming partner and then president. He was elected to the Vermont State Senate. He was manufacturer of the world’s first platform scale
Weighing scale
A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
. He promoted the construction of a railway line from Portland to Ogdensburg via the White Mountain Notch, and became president of the Vermont division of the railroad, as well as president of the First National Bank of St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
.
He married Mary E. Taylor on August 9, 1840. They had three children.
In 1871 he presented to St. Johnsbury the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
St. Johnsbury Athenaeum
The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, is significant because of its construction, the American landscape paintings and books from its original role as a public library and free art gallery, and funding by Horace Fairbanks, manufacturer of the world's first platform scale. The art...
, incorporating a free public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
containing 8,000 volumes and an art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
. He was a trustee of the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
and Andover Seminary.
He was elected Governor of Vermont
Governor of Vermont
The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
in 1876, serving a two-year term.
Fairbanks died in New York City.