Francis B. Fay
| Francis Ball Fay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd district | |
|
In office December 13, 1852 – March 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Rantoul, Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Samuel L. Crocker |
| 1st Mayor of Chelsea, Massachusetts | |
|
In office 1857–1857 | |
| Preceded by | Board of Selectmen |
| Succeeded by | Hosea Ilsley |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
|
In office 1843-1845 1848 1868 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 12, 1793 Southboro, Massachusetts |
| Died |
October 6, 1876 (aged 83) South Lancaster, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Nancy Brigham[1] |
| Children | Frank B. Fay |
Francis Ball Fay (June 12, 1793 – October 6, 1876) was a United States merchant and politician. He served as U.S. Representative from Massachusetts.
Biography
He was born in Southboro, Massachusetts. His parents were poor, and he had little education. At the age of 18, he “bought his time” of his father for $80 a year. He attended the public scales in Dock Square, Boston, in 1811-12, then served as market man and butcher, and in 1817 became a merchant in Southborough.
He was postmaster of Southboro from September 15, 1817, to March 29, 1832. He was deputy sheriff of Worcester County 1824–1830. He served as member of the Massachusetts General Court in 1830 and 1831. He moved to Chelsea, which he represented in the Massachusetts General Court from 1834 to 1836 and in 1840. He served in the State Senate 1843–1845 and again in 1848.
Fay was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Robert Rantoul, Jr., and served from December 13, 1852, to March 3, 1853. He was not a candidate for the Thirty-third Congress. Fay served as the first Mayor of Chelsea in 1857. He endowed the public library in Southboro, Massachusetts, in 1851. He settled in Lancaster in 1858 to be closer to the state industrial school for girls he had helped found, and with which he was connected as commissioner, trustee, and treasurer, 1854-64. He was again a member of the State Senate in 1868. He died in South Lancaster, Massachusetts, October 6, 1876. He was interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, Everett, Massachusetts.
Notes
- ↑ Rand, John Clark (1890), One of a Thousand: a Series of Biographical Sketches of One Thousand Representative Men, Boston, MA: First National Publishing Company, p. 209.
References
- United States Congress. "Francis B. Fay (id: F000050)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Francis B. Fay at Find a Grave
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1900). "Fay, Francis Ball". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Rantoul, Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district December 13, 1852 – March 3, 1853 |
Succeeded by Samuel L. Crocker |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Board of Selectmen |
1st Mayor of Chelsea, Massachusetts 1857–1857 |
Succeeded by Hosea Ilsley |
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress website http://bioguide.congress.gov.
