Erastus Fairbanks, Governor

Erastus FAIRBANKS (1792-1864), Governor of VT (1852-1853, 1860-1861), VT State Representative, and, with brothers Thaddeus FAIRBANKS (1796-1886), and Joseph FAIRBANKS (1806-1855), founder and benefactor of St. Johnsbury Academy, VT and founder of E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. (now Fairbanks Scales, Inc.). [Ref. Vermont History, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr 1964), pp. 58-64]

Erastus Fairbanks (1792-1864), the eldest son of Joseph and Phebe Paddock Fairbanks, was the first of the family to move to Vermont, leaving his Brimfield, Massachusetts, birthplace in 1811; the rest of the family followed in 1815. While Erastus operated a store in Barnet, Vermont, his father and brother, Thaddeus (1796-1886), built and operated a gristmill and sawmill, and built carriages in St. Johnsbury. In 1823 Thaddeus built an iron foundry and Erastus joined him to establish E. and T. Fairbanks, to manufacture stoves and plows. Thaddeus, an inventor and mechanic, perfected and patented a design for a platform scale in 1830 and three years later Erastus, Thaddeus, and their youngest brother, Joseph P. (1806-1855), formed E. & T. Fairbanks & Company to manufacture and sell the scales. Erastus and Joseph managed the business while Thaddeus provided the mechanical expertise. Because of the size of the scales and the relative remoteness of St. Johnsbury, the Fairbanks contracted with agents and mechanics who were given defined territories to sell, assemble, and repair the scales. The company was successful and the scales became renowned nationally and internationally. E. & T. Fairbanks & Company continued in business until 1916 when it was purchased by Fairbanks, Morse and Company of Cincinnati and Chicago (originally an agent of E. & T. Fairbanks & Company). Ownership has changed several times but scales continue to be made in St. Johnsbury (as of 1996).

While serving as president of E. & T. Fairbanks & Company, Erastus was also active in civic affairs and politics. A member of the Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, he was president of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society, and a member of the American Board of Foreign Missions, and was active in the temperance movement. He was elected to the legislature in 1836 and was chosen presidential elector in 1844 and 1848 for the Whig party. He was elected governor of Vermont in 1852 and again in 1860.

As one of six men to be granted a charter for the Connecticut and Passumpsic Railroad in 1835, Erastus supported the railroad project through its third charter and was named president when the company finally organized in 1846. He held that position until 1854.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erastus_Fairbanks