William R. Fairchild (January 31, 1853 – May 8, 1929) was a Vermont politician, attorney and businessman who served as President of the Vermont Senate.
Biography William Russell Fairchild was born in Fairfield, Vermont on January 31, 1853. He attended Wesleyan University and Iowa State University, graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1877, and commenced practice in Fairfield. While in college, he became a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity. Fairchild was also involved in various business enterprises, including working as an agent for the Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company.William Hartley Jeffrey, Successful Vermonters: A Modern Gazetteer of Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont, 1907, pages 243 to 244Wesleyan University, Alumni Record of Wesleyan University, 1883, page 502Lewis Cass Aldrich, History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties, Vermont, 1891, page 249Psi Upsilon, General Catalogue, Volume 9, 1879, page 269
A Republican, Fairchild served in several local offices including school board member, school superintendent, lister, town clerk, and town treasurer.University of Michigan, Yearbook, 1898, page 241Vermont Secretary of State, Legislative Directory, 1888, page 394
From 1888 to 1890, Fairchild served in the Vermont House of Representatives, and from 1890 to 1892, he served in the Vermont Senate. Fairchild served again in the Vermont House from 1915 to 1917.Albert Nelson Marquis, Who's Who in New England, 1915, page 386
In 1916, Fairchild was again elected to the Vermont Senate. He served from 1917 to 1919 and was the Senate's president pro tem., Presidents Pro Tempore of the Vermont Senate Since 1870, 2011, page 4Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont State Senate, 1917, pages 32 to 33
Fairchild died in Fairfield on May 8, 1929.Vermont Death Records, 1909–2008, entry for William Henry Fairchild. Retrieved July 3, 2012
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