St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-03-22
Horace Fairbanks.
A Noble and Useful Life Ended.


at the Fifth Avenue hotel in New
York at I2.45 Saturday afternoon He
left st. JOhnsbury on the seventh in
slant for Boston and New York on a
business trip. His wife and daughters
were already in New York, so the men,
bers of the family were happily all to-
gether On Monday he went to the
store of Fairbanks 81 Co. in a close car
riage, but Tuesday he remained in the
hotel. 1t is not known that he was in
any way exposed to- the severity of the
storm, but was taken sick on Tuesday
night. a physician was at once called.
1t was not at first thought that he was
seriously sick, but distressing nausea
and cutting pleurisy pains set in and it
was soon apparent that he was very
i'll. The most skillful medical aid was
summoned, but pneumonia soon devel-
oped and after three and half days of
extreme suffering he died as above
stated.
Letters were received by family
friends here on Saturday morning an
nOuncing his illness, but the first init
nation that he was seriously sick was
the receipt of telegram Saturday fore
noon, written the day before, saying
that lie was gravely sick, and second,
written Saturday morning, saying that
he had but a few hours to live. 1t was
a great shock to this community and
there were many sad hearts awaitin G
further intelligence. The disturbed
condition of the telegraph lines owing
to the storm early in the week prevent
ed any further intelligence reaching
friends here that day, though in the
afternoon a dispatch went through to
LyndOnvilIe announcing his death.
Friends here were kept in suspense
until Sunday morning, hoping against
hope, but then the sad news was con-
firmed. There were expressions of
sorrow on every hand. Flags were
flying at half-mast over the Athen9um
and Grand Army halls, reference to
the sad event was made in all the
pulpits and the virtues of the deceased
and the great loss to st. Johnsbury
and to the state were the topics upper
most in the minds of the people. His
pew in the North church, in which he
was always to be found when at home,
unless detained by sickness, was beau
tifulIy and tastefully decorated with
flowers during the Sunday services.
On Monday evening the remains reach
ed st. JOhnsbury accompanied by the
members of the family, Except Miss
Isabel Fairbanks, who was too i'll
to return), sad homecoming in
deed. Gov. Fairbanks's brother,
Col. Franklin Fairbanks, and his
pastor, Rev. C.. NJ. LamsOn, who
were in Florida when the news of the
sudden death reached them, started at
once for st. JOhnsbury, reaching here
Wednesday morning.
Boyhood and Business Life.
Horace Fairbanks, the son of Eras-
tus and Lois (CrOsman) Fairbanks,
was born in Barnet, March 81, 1920.
Erastus Fairbanks, who had not yet
entered upon the career that won for
him both honor and fame, moved his
family to st. Johnsbury in 1925, and
with his brother Thaddeus organized
the firm of E. & t. Fairbanks. Hor-
ace was now five years old and St.
JOhnsbury was his home from that
time on. Though not enjoying the ad-
vantages of a collegiate course, the
common schools of st. JOhnsbury and
the academies of Peacham and Lyndon,
supplemented by advanced studies in
Phillips academy, Andover, gave him a
better education than the average bus
mess man of that or even of this day en-
joys, and found him at 20 well equsp-
ped for the business of life, and with a
taste for reading and knowledge of
books that has frequently led to the
belief that lac was a college-bred man.
His business life began when he en-
tered the employ of E. s. L. Fairbanks
s. Co., in 1913, the firm having been
then engaged for about 10 years in the
manufacture of platform scales. He
was first employed as confidential
clerk, was soon called upon to assume
larger duties and finally, when he was
% years of age, became an active mem
Der of the firm. The management of
A. -
gradually devolved upon him and for
many years, and during the most ac-
tive portion of his life, he was practi-
cally in entire control of this depart
ment of the business. When it is re-
membered that this period included
two of the great financial crises of the
century, and that, while other large
business concerns went to the wall this
company successfully breasted the
storms, it will be seen that the posi-
tion he held was by no means that of a
sinecure. Meanwhile, also, the bust
ness of the firm was constantly in
oreasing and requiring men of more
than ordinary calibre to meet its grow
ing financial needs and exigencies.
When Horace became the partner of
his father and uncles in 1913, the an
nual sales of their manufactured pro-
ducts did not exceed $4,000. In sin
gle years since that date the sales have
exceeded 100000; where but 40 men
were employed at that time, there are
today between six and seven hundred