St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-04-26

Johnsbury, "have made this village
well nigh as conspicuous for it's
schools, it's churches, its library and
its art museum, as for the industry
which has established and nourished
these. But most conspicuous of all
are the virtue, the peace, the content
ment, the social order which pre-
walls"
Franklin Fairbanks was educated
in the common schools of the village,
and then took a course at the lead
ing academies OF New England. He
was a year and half at Pinkerton
academy, Derry, N H., then at
Peacham academy, and completed
his education at st. Johnsbury acad-
emy. Those who attended the CEN
tennial of the Peacham church last
August will recall the letter read
from him on that occasion and the
beautiful tribute he paid to the in
fuence of Peacham academy and the
church. He did not go TO college,
but received in 1877 the degree of
M. A. from Dartmouth college. He
always took, however, deep inter-
est in education, and was trustee of
st. Johnsbury academy, of Rollins
college, Winter Park, Fla, and of
Mortified seminary, the school for
young ladies founded by Evangelist
Moody.
At the age of II he entered the en-
ploy of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co.,
and though as he grew older he had
large interests here and elsewhere, he
will best be remembered in business
way from his interest in the scale
works which bear his name. By
actual labor in the various depart
ments, and having natural instinct
for mechanics, he made himself ia
niliar with everything that had to
do with the making of scale. He
afterwards was clerk in the store
and in all the departments OF the
office of the establishment, and these
years of experience in the shop, store
and office served as school to give
him technical and business educa-
ton, which proved invaluable to him
all through his life. On January !,
1856, when he was 27 years of age, I,
he was admitted as partner to the
scale firm, and during his long and
important service with the firm he
has seen the business grow from an
annual product of $4,000 to
$3,0O0,000, and the force of work
men from 40 to nearly 600 in the
busy times. To his efficient manage
ment is due much of the remarkable
success and growth of this company,
and as this word is used it is re-
minder that the last member of the
old firm so long and familiarly known
as the COMPANY" has now passed
away. In 1876 the private firm of
E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., was incor-
porated under the same name and
Horace Fairbanks was elected presi-
dent and Franklin Fairbanks vice.
president. The latter was also
chosen superintendent of the corpor-
alton, a position for which he was
we'll prepared by his practical know
ledge of all the operations of the.
establishment. He naturally assumed
the practical, while his brother
Horace undertook the business ad-
ministration. At the death of Gov.
Horace Fairbanks in 1888 Franklin
succeeded him as president ofthe cor
poration, a position which he has
ever since held. He was quite an in
ventor, and many of his scales and
various parts and improvements on
previous patterns of scales have been
patented, andare constantly made at
the factory. The revolving beam for
letter balances has been adopted by
the United States government, and
is in use in nearly every post Office in
the United States. In 1880 he went
to San Francisco to set up testing
machine of his own invention for the
government.
Col. Fairbanks received his title
from service on the staff of Gov.
Hall in 1858. His father was gov
ernor of the state in 1852 and
again in 1860 Franklin Fairbanks
served on his fathers staff in his Sec
ond term and was active in raising
and equipping the first five regiments
from Vermont for the civil war. He
also had the practical charge of the
scale factory when artillery and har.
ness irons were made for the gov