The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-07
THE LATE JAMES G. FAIR.
Estimated as One of the Greatest Fig
ures in Finance of the Age.

ures IN FINANCE OF the Age
San Francisco Chronicle.
James G. Fair was a remarkable man.
Those who praise sparingly call him ex-
traordinary. His qualities of mind were
rare. 1t was he who made the great bonan-
"a firm, who gave to it tremendous wealth,
who directed its fortunes, and, after dis
agreements and quarrels had come saved
its surviving members from ruin. It was
Fair who worked in the mine and took upon
his own shoulders the force of all blows of
i'll fortune and criticism.
There are many phases of Fairs charac-
ter which have never become known. There
are many incidents in his life which have
in day, but the prospect did not dazzle
him. He had none of the instincts of the
which that term is used by Eastern manip
ulators, was foreign to his nature.
Quiet cold, critical and observing, he
cared to make few friends. He gem
erouS to a greater degree than most people
know, yet SO complete was his contempt
of PUBLIC opinion, that he strove to hide
essentially a cynic. He had seen a side of
life which did not please him, and he fire.
mentary terms his opinions of men and
things. He had scores of pensioners on his
fused.
1t is said that James G. Fair did not have
an intimate friend in the world. He loved
mystery, and not even his most trusted
agents knew the purpose of most of his
transactions. None could follow him in the
series of SURPRISES Before his 1p
realized his presence be had captured the
prize. His hand has been felt in some OF
the greatest transactions of the coast. He
was made the central figure sin the recent
wheat deal, but, Shrewd his oppo-
Fair was :n the manipuater in that al affair
They waiting for the administration of
his estate to tell a secret he would never
dvulge.
Operators who have followed the course
Of affairs on this coast are emphatic in
their assertions that Fair was the most re-
markable man ever developed in the finan-
cial world of the coast. He had little but
his native intelligence and shrewdness to
guide him. From the time he handled the
pick and pan as a prospector until he had
fabulous wealth in his possession he placed
implicit reliance in his own judgment.
An effort has been made to compare Fair
with Gould, Sage and other magnates of
the Eastern markets. Such COMPARISONS
seem idle in the opinion of those who know
Fairs plans and methods. On one side is
brillance, daring, the abandon and reck-
lessness of the gambler; on the other the
slow, calculating, shrewd judgment of the
investor and accumulator. There can be no
main as one of the greatest figures in
finance in the present age.
1t was he who had faith in the California
and Virginia mines. He staked his judg-
ment upon the worth of the mines and
$100,00o000 was the result. When the great
accumulation of riches. There was nothing
to dazzle in what he did. He was an
ordinary man in an ordinary business.
had a keen wit and often used it. His
policy OF myStifica ton was maintained year
in and year out Gradually the great
fortune became greater. Fair would now
be close in his attention to details, again
he would apparently neglect his most i'm
portant interests But under semblance
of lethargy he yelled unusual shrewdness
he never lost an opportunity.
Unlike his associates in the mines he
kept his money. He increased it rapidly.
Real estate, railroads, banking. each at
tracted him in turn. The time came for
him to perform the one brilliant act of
his life. There was an element of the
sardonic in it. He had quarreled with
Mackay, but still had the frendliest of
feelings for Flood O'Brien had been dead
some years.
Flood and Mackay engaged in the great
wheat deal They had overreached them
selves, and had no one from whom to ex-
pect relief. Flood appealed to Fair, and
the needed assistance came. Fair advanced
S3,500,000 in cash: and the Nevada Bank
escaped. Mackay felt peculiar sense of
gratitude Fair not of a forgiving ma
ture, however, and the two were never the
friends they had been during the mining
days. Fair refused to take any interest in
the new stock of the bank. He had closed
his business relations with his associates
of the mining days.
For one who possessed enormous wealth
Fair passed simple life. Most of his time
was spent in his office in his rooms He
was accessible to all who called, and had
the uncommon faculty of making each be-
lieve that he had won his confidence.