Lucius Fairchild | |
|---|---|
 Fairchildc. 1864 | |
| 22nd United States Minister to Spain | |
| In office January 26, 1880 – December 20, 1881 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | James Russell Lowell |
| Succeeded by | Hannibal Hamlin |
| 10th Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 1, 1866 – January 1, 1872 | |
| Lieutenant | Wyman Spooner Thaddeus C. Pound |
| Preceded by | James T. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Cadwallader C. Washburn |
| 8th Secretary of State of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 4, 1864 – January 1, 1866 | |
| Governor | James T. Lewis |
| Preceded by | James T. Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Thomas S. Allen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1831-12-27)December 27, 1831 Franklin Mills, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | May 23, 1896(1896-05-23) (aged 64) Madison, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Hill Cemetery Madison, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic (pre war) Republican (post war) |
| Spouse | Frances Bull Fairchild |
| Children | 5 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Cassius Fairchild (brother) |
| Profession | Clerk,Politician,Soldier |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Volunteers Union Army |
| Years of service | 1858–1863 |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Unit | Iron Brigade Army of the Potomac |
| Commands | 2nd Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry |
| Battles/wars |
|
Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831 – May 23, 1896) was anAmerican politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the tenthgovernor of Wisconsin and represented theUnited States asMinister to Spain under presidentsRutherford B. Hayes andJames A. Garfield. He served as aUnion Army colonel during theAmerican Civil War and lost an arm atGettysburg.
Lucius Fairchild was born inKent, Ohio (then Franklin Mills) on December 27, 1831 toJairus C. Fairchild and Sally Fairchild (nee: Blair), originally fromNew York. Lucius had one older sister; Sarah Fairchild (1827-1912), one older brother;Cassius Fairchild (1829-1868), and two younger brothers; Charles S. Fairchild (1837-1910) and James Blair Fairchild (1828-1832). Jairus Fairchild worked in a variety of businesses growing up including a tannery, a business owner, a customs official, and an auctioning agent.[1] The Fairchild family eventually moved toWisconsin Territory in 1846 toMadison where Jairus set up another business and became the became thestate treasurer. Jairus was re-elected as state treasurer in 1849 and left office in January 1852. Despite Jairus's many business failures growing up, he eventually became the firstMayor of Madison, Wisconsin in 1856 after Madison was incorporated as a city.[1]
Despite his fathers hard work ethic Fairchild was a troubled student and youth growing up. Fairchild wasexpelled from school forfighting and preferred to explore, be outside, dance, and exploreCleveland as opposed to study.[2] In 1848 whengold was discovered in California Fairchild left forCouncil Bluffs, Iowa along with several friends and joined awagon train headed to California. Once in California Fairchild did notpan for gold, but insteadtilled soil, butchered cattle, waited tables, and farmed. Fairchild's hard worked attracted the eye ofdemocrat politicianElijah Steele who eventually became Fairchild's business partner in tradingbeef. In 1855 after six years in California Fairchild sold his beef business to Steele for $10,000. After selling his business in California Fairchild moved back to Wisconsin.[3]
When Fairchild returned to Wisconsin he briefly worked for therailroad before turning to focus on politics with his father Jairus and his elder brotherCassius Fairchild who had both since become heavily involved in the Democratic Party. To help his chances in getting into political office Fairchild became a member of three different church organizations, joined avolunteer fire department for the city of Madison, and joined the Governor's Guard, a localmilitia. All of these activities led to Fairchild's first political office, in 1858 Fairchild was elected as themunicipal clerk of theDane CountyCourt.[4]
In 1858, with theAmerican Civil War looming, Fairchild volunteered as a private with theWisconsin militia company known as the "Governor's Guard". At the outbreak of the war in 1861, the Governor's Guard was accepted into federal service as Company K of the1st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. With the 1st Wisconsin Infantry, he served at theBattle of Hoke's Run against the "Stonewall Brigade" of GeneralThomas J. Jackson.
In August 1861, the enlistments of the 1st Wisconsin Infantry expired and Fairchild was appointedcaptain in the16th U.S. Infantry as well asmajor of the2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 2nd Wisconsin served in the brigade commanded by GeneralWilliam T. Sherman until the general reorganization of the Union army following theFirst Battle of Bull Run. Electing to stay with the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry, Fairchild was soon commissionedlieutenant colonel and, with his regiment now a part of the famedIron Brigade within theArmy of the Potomac, participated in theSecond Battle of Bull Run. One week thereafter, on September 8, 1862, he was promoted to the rank ofcolonel of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry. On February 27, 1863, the Iron Brigade, now under the command of Brig. Gen.Solomon Meredith, was re-designated the"1st Brigade, 1st Division, I Corps", which gave Fairchild the distinction of being the ranking officer among all commissioned officers within theI Corps of theArmy of the Potomac during the Spring and Summer of 1863.
Fairchild and the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry distinguished themselves at theBattle of Antietam, and then again atSeminary Ridge during the first day of fighting at theBattle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, being the first infantry regiment to make close contact with the Confederate Army. During the engagement, at approximately 10:00, the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry delivered a striking blow by capturing very first Confederate general officer of the war, Brig. Gen.James J. Archer. Almost immediately after this success, the regiment was ambushed by an attack on their right flank, losing seventy-seven percent of their ranks, including most officers. Fairchild was shot in the upper arm, captured, tended to, and released. While recovering from his amputated left arm, Fairchild was commissioned as abrigadier general by PresidentAbraham Lincoln on October 19, 1863, but the appointment was not confirmed by the Senate.
Fairchild resigned from the military in November 1863 and was appointedSecretary of State of Wisconsin (1864–1866), before being elected three termGovernor of Wisconsin (1866–1872). After his time as governor, Fairchild was appointed U.S.consul atLiverpool (1871) and thenconsul general atParis (1880–1881), Fairchild wasEnvoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain.[5][6]
Fairchild later served as Commander-in-Chief of theGrand Army of the Republic (1886–1887) and of theMilitary Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (1893–1895); during the former of these terms, he came to national prominence for calling upon God to "palsy" PresidentGrover Cleveland for offering to return several captured Confederate battle flags to the veterans of their respective regiments as a peace gesture towards the South. He was also a member of theSociety of the Army of the Potomac. Fairchild also received 95 degrees in the Masonic Order "Egyptian Masonic Rite of Memphis". He died in Madison, Wisconsin in May 1896, and was buried atForest Hill Cemetery.
Fairchild was also known as an outspoken "Radical Republican", he fervently supported civil rights for blacks and vehemently opposedRutherford B. Hayes for "appeasing" southern segregationists in what he referred to as "the second civil war". He believedReconstruction ended too early, and on terms he described as "cowardly" and "disgraceful". He supported Wisconsin SenatorTimothy O. Howe in pushing for more severe measures inthe South that would guarantee civil rights by force.[7]
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Lucius Fairchild was of entirelyEnglish ancestry. His family tree can be traced through three large migrations. Firstly all of his ancestors migrated fromEngland toNew England during thePuritan migration to New England during the early colonial period, between 1620 and 1640. In the immediate aftermath of theAmerican Revolution all of Fairchild's ancestors moved fromNew England to the region ofupstate New York, and only one generation after that, following theNorthwest Indian War they moved to the northern part ofOhio.[8][9][10][11] Fairchild had a grandfather and a great-grandfather who fought in the American Revolution.
Fairchild is a descendant of Thomas Fairchild who emigrated to North America in 1639. His parents were Sally (Blair) andJairus C. Fairchild, who was the firstState Treasurer of Wisconsin and the first Mayor of the city of Madison, Wisconsin.[12] His brother,Cassius Fairchild, served as Democratic Party Leader in theWisconsin State Assembly, and also served in the Union Army during the American Civil War with the rank of colonel (and brevet brigadier general).[13] His brother Charles served in the Union Navy during the war. His wife was Frances Bull Fairchild, and together they had three daughters: Mary, Sarah, and Caryl.[14]
The town ofFairchild, Wisconsin and the 422-foot (129 m)Liberty ship SSLucius Fairchild, built in 1943 inPortland, Oregon for the United StatesWar Shipping Administration, were named in his honor, as was Mount Fairchild (13,502'), a prominent peak located inRocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. InKent, Ohio, where Fairchild was born in 1831, Fairchild Avenue is named after him. Fairchild visited Kent with much fanfare in 1887 and the road was officially named for him in 1904.[15] AJohn Singer Sargent portrait of General Fairchild is housed at the Wisconsin Historical Museum located in Madison, Wisconsin.[16][17]Fairchild Mountain inRocky Mountain National Park was also named in his honor after his visit toColorado.[18]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 7, 1865 | |||||
| Republican | Lucius Fairchild | 58,332 | 54.68% | −4.91% | |
| Democratic | Harrison Carroll Hobart | 48,330 | 45.31% | 5.11% | |
| Scattering | 12 | 0.01% | |||
| Total votes | '106,674' | '100.0%' | -12.58% | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 5, 1867 | |||||
| Republican | Lucius Fairchild (incumbent) | 73,637 | 51.67% | −3.02% | |
| Democratic | John J. Tallmadge | 68,873 | 48.32% | +3.02% | |
| Scattering | 12 | 0.01% | |||
| Total votes | '142,522' | '100.0%' | +33.61% | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 2, 1869 | |||||
| Republican | Lucius Fairchild (incumbent) | 69,502 | 53.14% | +1.48% | |
| Democratic | Charles D. Robinson | 61,239 | 46.83% | −1.50% | |
| Scattering | 40 | 0.03% | |||
| Total votes | '130,781' | '100.0%' | -8.24% | ||
| Republicanhold | |||||
Media related toLucius Fairchild at Wikimedia Commons| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin 1865,1867,1869 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Wisconsin 1864 – 1866 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Wisconsin 1866 – 1872 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | United States Minister to Spain 1880 – 1881 | Succeeded by |
| Ministers Plenipotentiary to Spain (1779–1825) | |
|---|---|
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain (1825–1913) | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain (1913–present) | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
