1 00:00:01,280 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:18,960 Speaker 1: So DRAYZ. Back in the fall, when I was visiting 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,400 Speaker 1: San Francisco, Uh, as you recall, we ended our tour 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: there and then I stayed for a week because I 7 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,480 Speaker 1: love that city. Um. But the hotel that we were 8 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: staying in had a photo of Senator James G. Fair 9 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:33,000 Speaker 1: framed and sitting on a little um piece of furniture 10 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: in the parlor, and my interest was immediately sparked because 11 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,640 Speaker 1: there was no context for this, which is they're just 12 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,200 Speaker 1: sitting there. There's just there. Uh. And so I asked 13 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: around and it turned out that Fair had actually paid 14 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,120 Speaker 1: for that building to be established as a boarding school 15 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,040 Speaker 1: in eight ninety and that school was run by a 16 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: teacher named Mary Lake, and there were rumors at the 17 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: time that she and Fair were romantically involved. They both 18 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: denied these, but incidentally, Mary Lake allegedly haunts that hotel. 19 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: All she never visited me, to the best of my knowledge. Uh, 20 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 1: we didn't see her. But I then was kind of 21 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,559 Speaker 1: left with the desire to know a lot more about 22 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: James G. Fair, and it turned out as I did 23 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: some digging. Oh, he was a piece of work. Uh. 24 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: He was a contemporary of Levi Strauss. He was living 25 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 1: and working in San Francisco around the same time as 26 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: the Denham Magnet. But though Fair often appears on lists 27 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: of the richest men in US history, he just doesn't 28 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: have the same level of name recognition, and so I 29 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: thought it might be fun to do an episode on him. 30 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: But spoiler alert, it's unlikely that you're going to come 31 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: away from this episode feeling warm and fuzzy about James G. 32 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,600 Speaker 1: Fair the way you might have after the Levi Strouss episode. 33 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,959 Speaker 1: He's not quite as magnanimous and lovely a man. Yeah, 34 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: if your primary uh affection is for money and the 35 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: making thereof, you might be super into it, maybe at 36 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: all costs, regardless of your search for money. Fair story 37 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: starts in Kloer County, Torone in Ireland, where he was 38 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: born on December three, thirty one, and his father's name 39 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 1: was also James Fair. His mother's maiden name was Graham 40 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: and that's where he got his middle name. Yeah, we 41 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: don't know her first name any longer. The records don't 42 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: seem to clearly indicate what her first name was. But 43 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: when James was twelve, his family immigrated to the United 44 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: States and they lived briefly in Geneva, Illinois. After finishing 45 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: his early schooling in Geneva, Fair went on to study 46 00:02:31,639 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: both business and science in Chicago, but the California gold 47 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 1: rush captured his attention and ambition when that whole thing 48 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,680 Speaker 1: blew up, and so at the age of eighteen, Fair 49 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: left Illinois to seek his fortune in mining. At first, 50 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: he worked in place our mining, and that is using 51 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,639 Speaker 1: water to excavate and recover the deposit that you're trying 52 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: to get. At the most basic form place our mining 53 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:57,239 Speaker 1: is panning, but there are much larger scale and more 54 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,240 Speaker 1: industrial forms of place our mining as well. He did 55 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: okay in these efforts. He made a little bit of money, 56 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: but it was never quite the major income that he 57 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: was hoping for, and Fair floundered around a little bit. 58 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: Once he decided that gold might not be the road 59 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 1: to wealth for him. He tried mining for courts, because 60 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: a lot of courts was part of the source for 61 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: where all of these gold mines were coming from. But 62 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: he only met with a little bit of success, and 63 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: then he actually gave farming a world for a little 64 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: while on a plot near Petaluma, California, but that was 65 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:31,000 Speaker 1: similarly unfulfilling and not really very profitable, and he gave 66 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,720 Speaker 1: up after six months. In the early eighteen sixties, he 67 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: shifted his gears again away from gold and courts and 68 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: agriculture and California. This time he set his sights on Nevada. 69 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: In the late eighteen fifties, silver loads had been discovered 70 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: in Nevada, and Fair was eager to be one of 71 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: the first people to capitalize on the silver trade. Yeah, 72 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: he didn't run out there right as these silver loads 73 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: were being discovered. He kind of wanted to get a 74 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: sense of the whole situation and if it was really 75 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 1: a viable thing, since gold had not worked out. But 76 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: once he realized like, oh, this is a very real opportunity, 77 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: he was on top of it. It was a really 78 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: smart move, as he was much more successful in silver 79 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: mining than he had been in gold mining, although I 80 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: should point out that many of these mines were also 81 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 1: producing both silver angld, but silver was just what was 82 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: making the most money. He went to Virginia City Nevada, 83 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: which is south of Reno. It's to the east of 84 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: Lake Tahoe's northern tip and Fair worked prospecting in Virginia 85 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:28,680 Speaker 1: City for five years on his own, but in eighteen 86 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: sixty five a corporate enterprise hired him as it's superintendent, 87 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: and that mine was the oper Mine, named after King 88 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: Solomon's Oh Fear mine from which so much wealth had sprung. 89 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: Soon Fair was showing just how good he was managing 90 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 1: the over mines, business interests and day to day functions, 91 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: and that skill attracted the attentions of other mining operations. 92 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: He was hired as director of the Hale and Norcross mine. 93 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,279 Speaker 1: He also became friends with John W. McKay. His work 94 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: at Hale and Norcross turned it from something that just 95 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: was turning a profit into a valuable venture. It resulted 96 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: in two billion dollars over the course of two years. 97 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: That money didn't go back to Fair, though it went 98 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: to the company. In eighteen sixties seven, Fair and Hale 99 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: and Norcross severed their relationship for reasons that have never 100 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,160 Speaker 1: been totally clear. Yeah, there are a lot of theories 101 00:05:19,160 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: about maybe him being frustrated that he wasn't really getting 102 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,480 Speaker 1: much of the profit and that he kind of just 103 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 1: told them to go take a hike, or that he 104 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 1: may have been making noises like that and they told 105 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: him to go take a hike. We don't really know 106 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,479 Speaker 1: what happened exactly, but Fair and his friend McKay, who 107 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: had also been working in mining towns, joined forces with 108 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,799 Speaker 1: San Francisco stockbrokers James C. Flood and W. S. O'Brien 109 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: to buy a controlling interest in the Hale and Norcross 110 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:50,440 Speaker 1: mine in eighteen sixty eight, and that fore man partnership 111 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: eventually came to be known by the nickname the Silver Kings. 112 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:56,440 Speaker 1: All of them were Irish. James Flood was not born 113 00:05:56,440 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: in Ireland, but he was born in New York shortly 114 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: after his parents immigrated US. Buy into Hale and Norcross 115 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: was a really significant move. Prior to the Forsome joining 116 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: forces to come into control of the mind its previous 117 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: controlling owners were the dominant powers in Nevada mining. These 118 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: were William C. Ralston and William Sharon, and they were 119 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: backed by the Bank of California, which Ralston had founded. 120 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: They had continued to capitalize on their wealth by making 121 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: loans to hopeful speculators for the purchase of minds or 122 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,360 Speaker 1: stocks and minds. They weren't really hoping these people would 123 00:06:30,360 --> 00:06:32,560 Speaker 1: turn a profit from the mind They were hoping that 124 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 1: they would lose their money and before closed on. If 125 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: the notes weren't paid in time, then Ralston and Sharon 126 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: would take control of the mine. After it had been 127 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 1: foreclosed on, they would expand their own footprint. That was 128 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,520 Speaker 1: actually how they had come to own Hale and Norcross 129 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:49,800 Speaker 1: in the first place. They had not actually been the 130 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: owners when Fair worked there. Yeah, they definitely get characterized, 131 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: and not without reason, as kind of the mustache twirling 132 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: villains of Virginia City and the surrounding area the time. 133 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: Uh Fair, who at this point had a great deal 134 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:06,800 Speaker 1: more agency as a controlling owner of the Hale and Norcross, 135 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: was able to run things exactly as he wished, and 136 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: that way it turned out to be very, very prosperous. 137 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,480 Speaker 1: Because Fair had begun as a prospector and worked in 138 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: the mining industry for years at that point, and he 139 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: knew a lot about machinery. He understood every facet of 140 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: mining more deeply, perhaps than anyone else at the time. 141 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: He was also quick to take action, but he was 142 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,120 Speaker 1: not impulsive He thought through all of his ideas and 143 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: plans completely before ever committing manpower and resources to them. 144 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:37,360 Speaker 1: He was also completely hands on, even as a high 145 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: level executive. He would go into the minds just about 146 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: every day to inspect the progress and equipment and to 147 00:07:43,520 --> 00:07:47,080 Speaker 1: update the workers with new directives based on those inspections. 148 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: Some of this was because he obviously did not trust 149 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,239 Speaker 1: anybody else's judgment as much as he trusted his own, 150 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: but this really cost him. Having his hand in every 151 00:07:56,840 --> 00:07:59,360 Speaker 1: level of the business meant that he did not sleep 152 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: very much and he had very little time for his 153 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: personal life. Yeah, he did get married during this time, 154 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,000 Speaker 1: and we'll talk about his wife a little bit more later, 155 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: but he pretty clearly was focused on the mind and 156 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: making money. I mean he did everything from these inspections. 157 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: He wrote all of the checks instead of hiring a 158 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: clerker and accountant to do it. He would do like 159 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,160 Speaker 1: their reports at the end of every UH fiscal session 160 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: and like literally go line by line through everything they 161 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 1: had spent money on. He was completely devoted to this job, 162 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: and the mind was so fruitful that it became really 163 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: apparent that James Fair and his business associates should think 164 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:34,319 Speaker 1: about expanding their holdings and maybe buy up some additional 165 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,800 Speaker 1: property in the area. And some of that property already 166 00:08:36,800 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: had smaller mining interests on it, and one of the 167 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:41,959 Speaker 1: minds that they bought a controlling interest in was the 168 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: Consolidated Virginia, which they purchased from Ralston in eighteen seventy two. 169 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: Ralston's partner Sharon, thought that the purchase was going to 170 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: be deadweight for this collection of Irish businessmen. There had 171 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: been so much effort already poured into the Consolidated Virginia mine, 172 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: and it was believed to be dry. But it turned 173 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:03,640 Speaker 1: out that belief was incorrect. And coming up, we're going 174 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: to talk about what happened when Fair in his company 175 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: worked the Consolidated Virginia mine. But first we will pause 176 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: for a little sponsor break. So once Fair and his 177 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:23,320 Speaker 1: partners took control of Consolidated Virginia, they opted to tunnel 178 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: into the mine, and for a while it did indeed 179 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: seem like a waste of time and money, and they 180 00:09:28,360 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: would occasionally find small veins, but then they would follow 181 00:09:31,559 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: them only to find an end. But then in March 182 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,080 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, they found a vein that widened more 183 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,280 Speaker 1: and more the deeper they tunneled into it, and before 184 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: the news could break that the allegedly dry mine actually 185 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: contained a very significant vein fifty feet in width. At 186 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 1: that point Fair and mackay contacted their partners who were 187 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: in San Francisco and told them to buy any outstanding 188 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: stock in the consolidated Virginia Mind that they could. As 189 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: an aside, Fair always claimed that he had been the 190 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 1: one to find this vein and that he used his 191 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 1: years of knowledge and skill to really carefully follow this 192 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: vein of silver that was so thin and delicate that 193 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,920 Speaker 1: it would have been impossible for somebody with less savvy 194 00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:13,679 Speaker 1: to do it. But his version leaves out the fact 195 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: that there was another man named Sam Curtis who was 196 00:10:16,280 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: the superintendent on the project and he was the one 197 00:10:18,400 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 1: that actually made that discovery. And additionally, other accounts say 198 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: that it was really easy to follow this vein once 199 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: they had stumbled across it. Yeah, there's ah. It comes 200 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: up a lot in various biographies of him that he 201 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: always describes it as a knife thin edge of vein 202 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: that he, you know, intuited, might go somewhere further, And 203 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 1: then other people are like, you could literally have driven 204 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 1: a team of horses through there. It was so easy 205 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:47,280 Speaker 1: to find, so uh some disparity in the accounts of 206 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: what this vein was actually like. Then. Also, if if 207 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 1: you work for a publicly traded company today, this business 208 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: of buying up stock before you make a big announcement, 209 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,960 Speaker 1: that's the kind of thing you have ethics training about, right. 210 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,440 Speaker 1: I think that James G. Fair probably would have spat 211 00:11:06,520 --> 00:11:09,160 Speaker 1: at the idea of ethics training. That's just my theory. 212 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't mean to in any way 213 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: disparage the van who clearly had a lot of business acumen, 214 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: but I don't think he would have been down with 215 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: with ethics training. But back to the story. Uh So, 216 00:11:21,080 --> 00:11:23,640 Speaker 1: once Fair and McKay told their partners to buy up 217 00:11:23,679 --> 00:11:26,480 Speaker 1: interest in the mine, and remember they already had the 218 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 1: controlling interests, they just wanted as much of it as 219 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 1: they could get. But they did exactly that, and they 220 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:34,720 Speaker 1: also bought as much additional property in the surrounding area 221 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: as they could, and soon the partners had amassed a 222 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: huge tract of land, which they called the Consolidated Virginia 223 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,200 Speaker 1: and California. And that vein that they had struck was massive. 224 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:47,760 Speaker 1: It came to be known as the Big Bonanza, and 225 00:11:47,800 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: just a few years after the new company was established, 226 00:11:50,280 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: their combined mind had earned a hundred and fifty million 227 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:57,120 Speaker 1: dollars that is not adjusted to today's dollars that was 228 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: in the currency at the time. And along the way, 229 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: Fair had astutely invited press, rivals and brokers to all 230 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: come and look at the mine, which was all part 231 00:12:05,920 --> 00:12:08,680 Speaker 1: of driving up interest and value to ensure the best 232 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: possible position should he and his partners wish to sell so. 233 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 1: After this period of incredible growth, Nevada's mining industry started 234 00:12:16,400 --> 00:12:19,640 Speaker 1: to take on a darker image. As stock speculation led 235 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: to an economic downturn, Fair and his associates came to 236 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:27,280 Speaker 1: be viewed as greedy manipulators of this market. Fair made 237 00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: a variety of statements to the press, defending himself and 238 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:35,040 Speaker 1: defending his partners, but their images were already pretty well tainted. Furthermore, 239 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: they had made a lot of money in part because 240 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 1: of this overvalued mining stock, and over the years, Fair 241 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: and his friend McKay continued the hands on management of 242 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,839 Speaker 1: the Minds together while their partners handled finances out of 243 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: their offices in California and Farren McKay managed for a 244 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:54,719 Speaker 1: long time to stay cordial despite James Fair's tendency to 245 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: show boat and sometimes have temperamental outbursts, and that worked 246 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: largely due to McKay's willing is to just sort of 247 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,880 Speaker 1: navigate around such things. And they were in many ways 248 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 1: polar opposites, even down to their spending habits. McKay gave 249 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: away money constantly, but he had spend very little on himself. Fair, 250 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:13,839 Speaker 1: on the other end, would spend lavishly on what we 251 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: would probably call promoting his personal brand today. He liked 252 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:19,600 Speaker 1: to do things that made him look big and important, 253 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: but he was otherwise really tight with money. Fair had 254 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: diversified his fortune and invested in a number of other 255 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: business ventures. Over the years, he amassed more and more 256 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: wealth the whole time. We mentioned earlier that Fair was 257 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: a contemporary of Levi Strauss, and one space where their 258 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:38,240 Speaker 1: stories are pretty similar is in the world of San 259 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 1: Francisco real estate. So just as Strauss bought up interesting 260 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,840 Speaker 1: properties around the city to build up his holdings, Spared 261 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:48,120 Speaker 1: at the same thing starting in eighteen sixty nine, in 262 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:51,920 Speaker 1: Fair's case, he focused first on businesses and residential properties, 263 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:54,680 Speaker 1: but then he started expanding his interest in his business 264 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 1: acumen to get involved in railroads and transit systems as well. 265 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: In eighteen seventy eight, he built the South Pacific Coast Railroad, 266 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: and this also included a ferry system, and it was 267 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: really a key moment in the growth of the Bay 268 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,400 Speaker 1: Area because it connected San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, 269 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: and Oakland in less than a decade after it was completed, 270 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,560 Speaker 1: Fair sold the whole thing to the Southern Pacific Company 271 00:14:16,559 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 1: in eighteen eighty six, and he made himself a million 272 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:23,000 Speaker 1: dollars in the process. Even before he sold off the 273 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:25,880 Speaker 1: South Pacific Coast Railroad, he had already moved into yet 274 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: another entirely new career as a politician. In eighteen eighty one, 275 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: he was elected to the United States Senate and a 276 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: race against his mining rival William Sharon and Farah had 277 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:39,160 Speaker 1: run on a platform that focused on the interests of 278 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,920 Speaker 1: the state of Nevada, even when those interests were not 279 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: necessarily in line with his political party. The obituary that 280 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: ran uh it got picked up by the New York Times, 281 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: which is what I read it in, but it ran 282 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: another papers when Fair died described him as quote nominally 283 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: a Democrat, the silver minds of the state were a 284 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: huge economic driver, and as a consequence, Fair, who of 285 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: course knew all a about them, was able to prioritize 286 00:15:02,200 --> 00:15:05,800 Speaker 1: those interests to keep the state economy prosperous. And in 287 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,120 Speaker 1: his campaign he told people that he didn't know anything 288 00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:10,640 Speaker 1: about politics, but he knew what the state and its 289 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,880 Speaker 1: miners needed. But once he had his senatorial seat, he 290 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: didn't actually do much with it. It was estimated that 291 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: he had spent about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars 292 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: getting elected, but after attending some sessions dutifully for the 293 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: first few months of his term, he just sort of 294 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,480 Speaker 1: seemed to check out. Eventually, he was actually spending more 295 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 1: time back in San Francisco than he was in Washington, 296 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 1: and even on the issue of advocating for the silver 297 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: mining industry, which he had run on as his platform, 298 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: he let another Nevada Senator, John P. Jones, take the 299 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: lead when it came to speaking on the issue. On 300 00:15:43,800 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: the Senate floor, Fair voted in favor of the Chinese 301 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: Exclusion Act of eighteen eighty one, but he wasn't especially 302 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:53,920 Speaker 1: active on any other issues. He really preferred to go 303 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: back to California and gossip to all of his friends 304 00:15:56,600 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: about Washington politicians. Then when he was in Washington, he 305 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 1: tended to skip sessions and drink in his office with 306 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: his friends. It turned out that he just found the 307 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,800 Speaker 1: Senate to be boring. At one point he said something 308 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: about how to him, like listening to a bunch of 309 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: people talk about um things like you know what a 310 00:16:13,280 --> 00:16:16,120 Speaker 1: person should be paid as a fair wage just bored 311 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 1: him to tears, and he would rather be either in 312 00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: the minds or running something. He was not so much 313 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: with the legislation, But in the midst of his term 314 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: he also became the focus of a massive scandal when 315 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 1: his wife of twenty two years filed for divorce, and 316 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: the scandal came about because she cited habitual adultery as 317 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:38,280 Speaker 1: the reason that she sought to end the marriage in 318 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 1: eight three. This was the first time such a charge 319 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: was made against a sitting US senator, and it was 320 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: nationwide front page news. Fair's fellow senators were horrified and 321 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 1: denounced him. The divorce hearings took place in early May 322 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:56,280 Speaker 1: eight three, and the testimony was big news. That testimony 323 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:00,560 Speaker 1: was also extremely damning to James g. Fair. One of 324 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:04,120 Speaker 1: his paramours testified during the hearing, and another one provided 325 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,240 Speaker 1: a deposition to the court. Fair claimed the whole thing 326 00:17:07,320 --> 00:17:10,119 Speaker 1: was a political plot that had been orchestrated by his enemies, 327 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,440 Speaker 1: but he also didn't contest any of the charges that 328 00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 1: were made against him. He agreed to the divorce, and 329 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,399 Speaker 1: then when the dust settled, the judgment against him was 330 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 1: really harsh. The conditions of the divorce stated that James 331 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,720 Speaker 1: would get custody of the couple's two sons, James and Charles, 332 00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,760 Speaker 1: and they also had two daughters, Teresa and Virginia, who 333 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: were to stay with their mother per the court's decision. 334 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: But the big news was that Mrs Fair was also 335 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: granted nearly five million dollars in cash and securities, which 336 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,479 Speaker 1: is believed to be the largest divorce settlement in history 337 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: at that time. This was a huge loss for Fair, 338 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 1: not just because of the public scandal and the dissolution 339 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: of his family, but also because it led to the 340 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:52,640 Speaker 1: dissolution of his very successful long term business partnership. William 341 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: S O'Brien had died in eighteen seventy eight, but McKay 342 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: and Flood had sided with Teresa in the divorce. Things 343 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,919 Speaker 1: had already become strained when Fair had started working as 344 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 1: a senator. While he was in Washington, Theresa would look 345 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,560 Speaker 1: to McKay for support in California, and by helping her, 346 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: mackay had made Fair feel insulted. Since these three men 347 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:17,960 Speaker 1: couldn't untangle their business dealings, Fair instead contented himself by 348 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 1: giving his business associates some backhanded compliments in the press. Yeah, 349 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:24,680 Speaker 1: he would say, you know, things along the lines are like, oh, 350 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,479 Speaker 1: they've done so well for themselves, considering you know, they 351 00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: started out poor, stupid humans like they did. It was 352 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: just really unkind to them. And we're going to talk 353 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:36,879 Speaker 1: next about some of the family drama that swirled around 354 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,000 Speaker 1: the Fairs after the divorce. But first we are going 355 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: to take a quick break in here from one of 356 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: our sponsors. So Fair's daughters after the divorce were raised 357 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,800 Speaker 1: by their mother, Teresa, and she raised them to be 358 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:57,719 Speaker 1: educated and well mannered. Fair could not really be bothered 359 00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,679 Speaker 1: to do the same for his sons, and that had 360 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: di astris consequences. His son Jimmy developed a serious drinking problem, 361 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: which was often reported in the press, including what sounds 362 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 1: to me like a terrifying night when he drank twenty 363 00:19:10,119 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: cocktails in one sitting and a doctor had to be 364 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: called because he passed out. Jimmy actually died very young, 365 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: and his cause of death was reported entirely differently from 366 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 1: paper to paper. Some claimed that he died of acute alcoholism, 367 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: others stated that he had died of suicide. Fairs relationships 368 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,880 Speaker 1: with his surviving children were strained when his oldest daughter, Teresa, 369 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,680 Speaker 1: who went by Tessey, got married in a high profile 370 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:36,399 Speaker 1: society wedding fair. Was not invited, although he claimed that 371 00:19:36,440 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: he sent the newly weds a million dollars as a 372 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 1: wedding present, even though he had not been invited. Yeah, 373 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:44,840 Speaker 1: it's unknown if that actually happened or if it was 374 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:46,720 Speaker 1: something he just said to the press to like stir 375 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: up their interests. He kind of liked to be in 376 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: the press um, but he definitely didn't go to the 377 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:55,800 Speaker 1: wedding fair. Retired from politics after his first term ended 378 00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:58,679 Speaker 1: in seven and then he settled into the work of 379 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: managing his real estate interests in San Francisco in the 380 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:06,399 Speaker 1: surrounding area. He bought more properties, particularly money making properties 381 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,400 Speaker 1: like office buildings and retail spaces that would generate rental income, 382 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,520 Speaker 1: and all of his rental agreements put the onus of 383 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: maintenance and upkeep on the renters, so he was able 384 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:19,120 Speaker 1: to keep most or all of that rent money rather 385 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,200 Speaker 1: than funneling it back into property improvements, and this gave 386 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:25,800 Speaker 1: him something of a slum lord reputation. His properties were 387 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:28,280 Speaker 1: known for being run down, but he always claimed that 388 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: the real estate taxes were just far too high to 389 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: allow him any budget for refurbishment. His wife, Theresa Fair, 390 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 1: died in the Fair's son, Charlie, tried to get an 391 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:41,040 Speaker 1: advance on the trust fund that was set up in 392 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:43,280 Speaker 1: her will in order to pay off debts that he 393 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: had accrued purchasing race horses. Charlie had also developed a 394 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:50,960 Speaker 1: dependency on alcohol, and in a hasty move, he married 395 00:20:50,960 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: a young woman who was rumored to be running a 396 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:56,199 Speaker 1: brothel out of her home. All of this caused a 397 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: rift between Charlie and his sisters, as well as between 398 00:20:59,359 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: Charlie and his father. And James Fair had always been 399 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:06,120 Speaker 1: a drinker. His sons inherited their problems with alcohol from him, 400 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 1: but in these later years of his life his reliance 401 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:13,040 Speaker 1: on alcohol increased significantly. He also ate voraciously and not 402 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: in a healthy way. He started each day with four 403 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:19,680 Speaker 1: boiled eggs, a dozen slices of toast, a steak, and coffee. 404 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,720 Speaker 1: And the heavy meals and the heavy drinking really took 405 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,080 Speaker 1: a toll on his health. And as he began to 406 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:28,400 Speaker 1: reckon with the reality of his mortality, he also decided 407 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:33,320 Speaker 1: to reconcile with his son Charlie. By Fairs health started 408 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: to decline rapidly, but even so he remained a contrarian. 409 00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: When his pastor visited to discuss the sermon that he 410 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,760 Speaker 1: might give at fairs funeral service, it made the Silver 411 00:21:43,840 --> 00:21:46,399 Speaker 1: Magnets so furious that he got out of bed. He 412 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:48,840 Speaker 1: put on his work clothes and he watched his office 413 00:21:48,880 --> 00:21:50,879 Speaker 1: to work, and he did that for two more days, 414 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: but those were his last trips out of the house. 415 00:21:54,000 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: Even though he knew that he was probably going to 416 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,120 Speaker 1: die soon, having someone else tell him that just made 417 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: him irate. Um so he kind of wanted to prove 418 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:06,360 Speaker 1: them wrong. But uh time eventually caught up with him. 419 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: He caught what seemed initially to just be a cold 420 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: in December, but he couldn't seem to recover from it. 421 00:22:11,760 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: He was also diagnosed with diabetes and kidney disease, and 422 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: soon after that illness, around Christmas of December, he fell 423 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: into an unconscious state from which he never awoke. On December, 424 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,679 Speaker 1: James Fair died at Lick House that was one of 425 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 1: his homes in San Francisco. At the time of his death, 426 00:22:31,880 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: his estate was valued at an estimated forty million dollars. 427 00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:37,959 Speaker 1: In his will, he arranged for each of his children 428 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,640 Speaker 1: to be supported by the estate with a regular income 429 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: for the rest of their lives. In the event of 430 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: his daughter's deaths, their inheritance would pass to their children, 431 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,159 Speaker 1: and in the case of his son Charles dying, his 432 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: share would be split between his sisters. It would not 433 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: go to Charlie's wife, Maud or any children of that marriage. Yeah, 434 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: there had been hoped, since he had reconciled with Charlie 435 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:01,359 Speaker 1: that he might also find only accept Charlie's wife, but 436 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 1: apparently not so much. Charlie had sent word to his sisters, 437 00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:07,640 Speaker 1: both of whom were living in New York at the time, 438 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: that their father was about to die, but they had 439 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,639 Speaker 1: refused to answer their estranged brother because they had not 440 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 1: reconciled with him. They instead sent word to other family 441 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:21,440 Speaker 1: friends in San Francisco, though about the situation via telegraph. 442 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:24,439 Speaker 1: Fair also left money to his siblings. He left his 443 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,160 Speaker 1: sisters Mary Anderson and Margaret Jay Caruther's two thousand dollars each, 444 00:23:29,640 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: as well as fifty thousand dollars to his brother William 445 00:23:32,200 --> 00:23:35,960 Speaker 1: Fair and twenty thousand dollars to his brother Edward. Orphan 446 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 1: asylums were also beneficiaries. Fair made provisions for orphanages run 447 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:43,080 Speaker 1: by different religious denominations in the city of San Francisco 448 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: to each have their own bequest. Those are not massive bequests. 449 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: They were large for the time, but when you consider 450 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: how much money he was doling out, it kind of 451 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,640 Speaker 1: seems like I should give some to charity so people 452 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: don't think of a jury. It's like, here have two 453 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,760 Speaker 1: hundred fifty thousand dollars. Oh you orphans thousand. Um, I'm 454 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:04,399 Speaker 1: not judging, yes, I am um. Fair also put some 455 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: really interesting stipulations into his will about potential efforts to 456 00:24:09,560 --> 00:24:12,760 Speaker 1: break said will. So, according to how it was written, 457 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:15,760 Speaker 1: if any of his children contested the will, their share 458 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:18,719 Speaker 1: would automatically go to the other two siblings, and if 459 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,600 Speaker 1: anyone came forward claiming either to be James Phair's illegitimate 460 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,560 Speaker 1: child or claiming to be a common law wife. They 461 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 1: would just be issued fifty dollars and get nothing more. 462 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:32,760 Speaker 1: What Fair didn't anticipate with those stipulations was all three 463 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: of his children contesting the will in a sort of 464 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:38,600 Speaker 1: unified front. None of them wanted to deal with trustees 465 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: and an income that was doled out from a trust. 466 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:43,840 Speaker 1: All of them wanted to just have their inheritance, and 467 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: then to make matters even more contentious, the will vanished 468 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:49,560 Speaker 1: from the county Clerk's office just a month after James 469 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 1: Fhair died. It was replaced with a blank piece of 470 00:24:52,840 --> 00:24:55,720 Speaker 1: paper in the envelope that the will had been filed in. 471 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: A lot of people quit were questioned as police tried 472 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: to piece together who had access to the envelope who 473 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 1: could have made the switch. Nothing came of the investigation, 474 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,159 Speaker 1: and the will was never recovered, and the trustees claimed 475 00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,440 Speaker 1: that the Fair children must have taken the will so 476 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 1: that the estate would be split among them. The siblings 477 00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: believed that the trustees had stolen the will because they 478 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 1: knew that it would be revealed as fraudulent, and as 479 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 1: all of these accusations were made and the investigation stalled, 480 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: a woman named Neddie Craven, who was the principle of 481 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: the Mission Grammar School, came forward and claimed that she 482 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,280 Speaker 1: had a will that Fair maide after the one that 483 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: had disappeared. This was a handwritten will, so the press 484 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: nicknamed it the pencil Will, and it left the estate 485 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,160 Speaker 1: to the children. The will had allegedly been written because 486 00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: Mrs Craven had spoken to James Fair about a bill 487 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,000 Speaker 1: that was related to school teachers pension funds, and he 488 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:51,919 Speaker 1: had written this copy to include a bequest of fifty 489 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:55,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars to the pension fund. While the Fair family 490 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:59,359 Speaker 1: initially supported Mrs Craven and her documents, soon she produced 491 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 1: more hand and written documents, claiming them to be the 492 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: writing of James Fair. Two of them left her properties 493 00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: and one declared her his wife, and then that set 494 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,480 Speaker 1: off a whole series of events that ended up in 495 00:26:10,520 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: a very expensive trial. Eventually, Craven caved under this financial pressure. 496 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: She handed over the handwritten deeds and marriage declaration in 497 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,199 Speaker 1: return to for a small sum of cash. And when 498 00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:25,159 Speaker 1: she initially appeared with a handwritten will that seemed to 499 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: convey exactly what his kids always wanted, they were like, yes, 500 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: this woman is the real deal. And then when she 501 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: was like, he also left me two very big rental properties, 502 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: they were like, wait, wait a minute. And then she 503 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,240 Speaker 1: was like, and I'm his common law wife. They're like 504 00:26:37,320 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: hold the phone. And it became like a whole big, 505 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: crazy thing. But as the craven issue receded, numerous other 506 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,840 Speaker 1: claimants to Fair's life and fortune emerged. Multiple women claiming 507 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,520 Speaker 1: to have been engaged or common law married to James 508 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:55,160 Speaker 1: Fair came forward, as well as a number of people 509 00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 1: claiming to be his children. The nineteenth century passed into 510 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,520 Speaker 1: the twentieth century before this will was settled and the 511 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:06,000 Speaker 1: Fair children finally got their inheritance. So really, a lot 512 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:09,200 Speaker 1: of people liked him. He was capable of being friendly 513 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: with pretty much everybody, even making people he had never 514 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:14,840 Speaker 1: met before feel like they were his old friends. His 515 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: career in minding had been so successful in part because 516 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:21,159 Speaker 1: he treated everybody the same, regardless of whether they were 517 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: a wealthy executive or a worker down in the mind. 518 00:27:24,520 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 1: But that was only one side of his personality. The 519 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,920 Speaker 1: other side is a Fair that was fairly conceded about 520 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:33,080 Speaker 1: his own skills and intellect, so in some ways it 521 00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 1: kind of seems like he treated most people equally because 522 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:40,080 Speaker 1: he saw everyone as equally less impressive than himself. He 523 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: was not above taking advantage of someone that he thought 524 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: was foolish in business, and he would later crow about 525 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: business deals that were far more favorable to him than 526 00:27:48,119 --> 00:27:52,160 Speaker 1: the other involved party. He was shrewd and manipulative even 527 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 1: with his family members. At one point, he gave a 528 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:58,200 Speaker 1: fake tip to his wife about a stock, knowing that 529 00:27:58,320 --> 00:28:00,880 Speaker 1: she would not only buy with her own personal savings, 530 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: but also tell other people about him. And when all 531 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,200 Speaker 1: of those people started buying and the stock was hot, 532 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: Fair sold his shares and made a profit. His wife 533 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,639 Speaker 1: ended up losing her life savings, and he was not 534 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: especially sympathetic about that loss, which might be another reason 535 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: that she wanted to divorce him, and another thing that 536 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:25,200 Speaker 1: would be in ethics class. Yes, that ability to ingratiate 537 00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:27,960 Speaker 1: himself to other people and just charm them to pieces 538 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,159 Speaker 1: was very real, though, and it was something that he 539 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:32,880 Speaker 1: really used to his advantage. A lot of his most 540 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,479 Speaker 1: successful business dealings were built around relationships that he had 541 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,080 Speaker 1: fostered with this very genial side to his personality. Yeah, 542 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: he was definitely two men in one uh the obituaries 543 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,600 Speaker 1: that appeared in various papers after James G. Fair died 544 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:50,520 Speaker 1: all noted what an accomplished man he was, how astute 545 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:54,200 Speaker 1: his business mind was, and how incredibly skilled he was mechanically. 546 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,360 Speaker 1: But they didn't really paint a rosy picture of the man. 547 00:28:57,680 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: A lot of them said a lot of bad things 548 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: about him as well, and one of his acquaintances described 549 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: Fair as a master mechanic, a shrewd financier, and quote 550 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: from early childhood, more interested in the affairs of James G. 551 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: Fair than any other soul on earth. Oh James Fair, 552 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: you self involved beast? Do you have some listener mail? 553 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: I do have mail, and it's short and sweet, but 554 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,080 Speaker 1: it's actually savory. Is from our listener, whose name I'm 555 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: not sure how to pronounce. I'm going to guess theren 556 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 1: who writes, Hello, ladies, thank you for the hard work 557 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: you do. Even though I've only been a listener for 558 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: about six months, I've loved everything I've heard, and I'm 559 00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,200 Speaker 1: slowly making my way through every episode. The reason I'm 560 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: writing is I recently listened to your archived episode on 561 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: Cheese while working on a report on Wisconsin with the 562 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:46,640 Speaker 1: main focus being it's cheese. This was completely unintentional and unplanned, 563 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 1: but I slowly grew more and more hungry for cheese 564 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: as I worked on the report and listened to the episode. 565 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: After finishing, I ran to the refrigerator and grabbed any 566 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:58,560 Speaker 1: cheese I could find. This was at eleven three pm. Anyway, 567 00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: thanks again for all you do. It helps me make 568 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:04,440 Speaker 1: my schoolwork, hobbies, and commute much less monotonous. I see 569 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: no issue with eating cheese far later. It's a good 570 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,760 Speaker 1: thing I am not a magua, because I would turn 571 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: into a monster's kremlin if you would like. If you 572 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: would like to write to us, you can do so 573 00:30:16,320 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 1: at History Podcast at Houston Works dot com. You can 574 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:21,680 Speaker 1: also find us everywhere on social media as Missed in History. 575 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 1: Missed in History dot com is also the address for 576 00:30:25,520 --> 00:30:27,960 Speaker 1: our website, so that is the u r L Missed 577 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 1: in History dot com. If you would like to subscribe 578 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: to the show, we highly encourage doing so. 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