John Fairfield (January 30, 1797December 24, 1847) was an attorney and politician from

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. He served as a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, the 13th and 16th

governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

. Fairfield was born in Pepperellborough, Massachusetts (now

Saco, Maine Saco ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,381 at the 2020 census. It is home to Ferry Beach State Park, Funtown Splashtown USA, Thornton Academy, as well as Saco Valley Shopping Center. General Dynamics ...

) and attended the schools of York County. After serving in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, he pursued a business career before deciding to become an attorney, and after in the office of an established lawyer and judge, Fairfield attained admission to the bar in 1826. He practiced in Saco and

Biddeford Biddeford ( ) is a city in York County, Maine, United States. It is the principal commercial center of York County. Its population was 22,552 at the 2020 census. The twin cities of Saco and Biddeford include the resort communities of Biddefo ...

, and became active in politics as a Democrat. He was elected to the US House in 1834, reelected in 1836, and served from 1835 until 1838, when he resigned to become governor. Elected in 1838, he served from 1839 to 1841. He returned to the governorship in 1842, and served until resigning in 1843 to accept election to the U.S. Senate. He was elected to the final four years of the term in 1844, and served until his death. Fairfield died in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and was buried at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

in Saco.

Early life

Fairfield was born in Pepperellborough, Massachusetts (now

), and was the eldest of six children born to Ichabod and Sarah (Nason) Fairfield. He attended the Saco schools, Thornton Academy, and

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

Academy. Fairfield is known to have served on the crew of a

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

during the

, which led to the nickname "Sailor Boy", but the exact circumstances of his wartime service are not known. After completing his education, Fairfield began a career as a merchant before deciding to pursue a legal career. He studied law in the office of attorney and judge Ether Shepley, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1826.

Start of career

Fairfield practiced Saco and

in partnership with George Thacher, and specialized in courtroom pleadings and trials. Fairfield was appointed a trustee of Thornton Academy in 1826 and served as president of the board from 1845 to 1847. He was appointed

Reporter of Decisions The Reporter of Decisions (sometimes known by other titles, such as Official Reporter or State Reporter) is the official responsible for publishing the decisions of a court. Traditionally, the decisions were published in books known as case repor ...

for the

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. Between 1820 and 1839, justices served lifetime ...

in 1832, and authored ''Supreme Court Reports'', published in Augusta between 1835 and 1837. In 1845,

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

awarded Fairfield the

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Congressman

In 1834 he was elected to the

as a Democrat. He was reelected in 1836, and served from March 4, 1835, to December 24, 1838, when he resigned to begin his first term as governor. During his time in the House, Fairfield became nationally known when he spoke in the House to demand an investigation into the duel between Congressmen Jonathan Cilley and William J. Graves, which resulted in Cilley's death. In insisting on an investigation, Fairfield broke with the custom of the time, largely favored by pro-slavery Southern members, of not referring to private "affairs of honor" on the House floor. Fairfield's efforts resulted in passage of a law making it illegal to issue a dueling challenge within the city limits of

, even if the duel was planned for a site outside the city.

Governor

Fairfield was the

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

from 1838 to 1841. He returned to office again in 1842, and served until resigning in 1843. During Fairfield's governorship, the

Aroostook War The Aroostook War (sometimes called the Pork and Beans WarLe Duc, Thomas (1947). The Maine Frontier and the Northeastern Boundary Controversy. ''The American Historical Review'' Vol. 53, No. 1 (Oct., 1947), pp. 30–41), or the Madawaska War, w ...

erupted as the U.S. and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

continued a dispute over the boundary between Maine and

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Both sides dispatched militia to the contested area and several Canadian militiamen were captured. No one was killed, but two Canadians were injured by bears prior to the enactment of the

Webster–Ashburton Treaty The Webster–Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty that resolved several border issues between the United States and the British North American colonies (the region that later became the Dominion of Canada). Negotiated in the U ...

that ended the dispute.

U.S. Senator

He resigned during his second tenure as governor to accept election to The U.S. Senate, filling the vacancy caused by the resignation of Reuel Williams. He was elected in 1844 to complete the final four years of the term, and served from March 7, 1843, until his death. Fairfield was chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs in the 29th and 30th Congresses. At the

1844 Democratic National Convention The 1844 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held in Baltimore, Maryland from May 27 through 30. The convention nominated former Governor James K. Polk of Tennessee for president and former Senator George M. ...

, Fairfield's name was placed in nomination for vice president after Silas Wright declined; He received the most votes on the second ballot, but on the third ballot the nomination went to George M. Dallas.

Death and burial

Fairfield died suddenly in

, on December 24, 1847. According to published reports, Fairfield suffered from knee pain, and had been operated on previously. When he sought treatment on this occasion, his doctor punctured the skin around his knees to drain built-up fluid, then injected a

copper sulfate Copper sulfate may refer to: * Copper(II) sulfate, CuSO4, a common, greenish blue compound used as a fungicide and herbicide * Copper(I) sulfate, Cu2SO4, an unstable white solid which is uncommonly used {{chemistry index Copper compounds ...

solution, which was thought at the time to provide relief of the pain and swelling associated with rheumatism. The doctor did not remove the solution before it was absorbed into Fairfield's circulatory system, and intense pain, paralysis and death resulted. Fairfield's funeral was held at Saco's Congregational Church on December 1, 1848. He was buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco.

Family

On September 25, 1825, Fairfield married Anna Paine Thornton, the daughter of Dr. Thomas G. Thornton, a former U.S. Marshal for Maine and a niece of

Richard Cutts Richard Cutts (June 28, 1771 – April 7, 1845) was an American merchant and politician. A Democratic-Republican, he was most notable for his service as Second Comptroller of the United States Treasury from 1817 to 1829 and a United States rep ...

and Anna Paine Cutts. They were the parents of nine children, and Mrs. Fairfield died on July 18, 1882.

Legacy

John Fairfield is the namesake of the town of Fort Fairfield, Maine. In 1962, the Saco school district constructed an elementary school which was named for him.

References

Sources

Books

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Internet

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External links

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John Fairfield
at National Governors Association {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairfield, John 1797 births 1847 deaths Politicians from Saco, Maine American people of English descent Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Democratic Party United States senators from Maine Democratic Party governors of Maine Politicians from Biddeford, Maine People from Maine in the War of 1812 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century United States senators