John Henry Fairbank

John Henry Fairbank (born 1831 in Rouse's Point, New York, died February 1914 in Petrolia, Ontario) was variously a surveyor, oilman, inventor, banker, politician and fire chief in Lambton County, Ontario.

Career

Surveying for the Grand Trunk Railway through Lambton County, Fairbank was contracted in 1858 to survey a local property and decided to buy one himself.

In 1862 Fairbank dug a successful oil well on land in Enniskillen, Ontario Township that he bought from James Miller Williams for ten dollars. Still operating today, Charles Fairbank Oil Properties Ltd. is the oldest oil company in the world. [ [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/rock/021018-3300-e.html Collections Canada] ]

The same year, he invented the Jerker-line pumping system, allowing as many as ninety wells to operate off a single steam boiler. This system was so successful that it was spread to Pennsylvania and then worldwide. [ [http://www.oilandgasinalberta.ca/oilandgas.asp?href=/silos/oil/generator.asp?xml=%2Fsilos%2Foil%2FoilHistXML.asp Oil History in Canada] ] [ [http://www.lclmg.org/lclmg/Museums/OilMuseumofCanada/BlackGold2/People/Fairbank/Fairbankdetails/tabid/188/Default.aspx Black Gold:Fairbanks] ] [ [http://data4.collectionscanada.ca/netacgi/nph-brs?s2=&s4=&s3=&s1=Petrolia&s8=&Sect4=AND&l=20&Sect1=IMAGE&Sect2=THESOFF&Sect4=AND&Sect5=FOTOPEN&Sect6=HITOFF&d=FOTO&p=2&u=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/archivianet/02011503_e.html&r=39&f=G Descriptive records - National Archives of Canada ] ]

In 1865, Benjamin Van Tuyl and Fairbank together opened a liquor and grocery store which became known as Van Tuyl and Fairbank Hardware [ [http://www.petroliaheritage.com/fairbankStory.html Petrolia, Canada's Victorian Oil Town] ] . The next year he organized the local producers to build a railway spur, connecting their wells to outside markets via Wyoming, Ontario.

In 1869 he and Leonard Vaugh established Petrolia's first bank, the "Little Red Bank", which became part of the Crown Savings and Loan Company in 1872.

In 1873, Fairbank formed the Home Oil Company with James Williams and was its president. Home built and operated a local refinery until 1881.

He continued to expand his oil business, becoming the largest producer in Canada by 1880. Ultimately, Standard Oil's affiliate, the Bushnell Company acquired ownership of Fairbank, Rogers and Company in 1896. [Hugh Grant and Henry Thille, [http://www.uoguelph.ca/~hthille/ug2004-4.pdf "How Standard Oil Came to Canada: The Monopolization of Canadian Petroleum Refining, 1886–1898"] (July 2004)]

He was involved with John W. Sifton in building the Canadian Pacific Railway west from Lakehead.

Politics

Fairbank was three times elected as a reeve in Petrolia from 1868-1870, then was appointed as Fire Chief. He was elected as a federal Liberal opposition Member of Parliament in 1882, sitting in the 5th Canadian Parliament.

References

Further reading

[http://www.petroliaheritage.com/oilSprings.htm Oil Springs history site] - note the New York Times scans

Persondata
NAME= Fairbank, John Henry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Canadian businessman and politician
DATE OF BIRTH= 1831
PLACE OF BIRTH= Rouse's Point, New York
DATE OF DEATH= February 1914
PLACE OF DEATH= Petrolia, Ontario Canada