James Graham Fair (December 3, 1831–December 28, 1894) was a United States Senator and financier.
Born near Belfast, Ireland, Graham emigrated to the United States as a child and grew up on a farm in Illinois. There he received an extensive education in business before moving to California in 1851 to search for gold.
In 1960 he settled in Nevada. In partnership with J. W. Mackay, J. C. Flood, and William S. O’Brien, he made a large fortune from the silver of the Comstock Lode. Though he made most of his fortune through mining in California and Nevada, he was also involved in real estate and showed interest in manufacturing.
He was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 1881. He only served one term due to his defeat in the 1886 election. Following the end of his term, he moved back to California, where he died in San Francisco in 1894.
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Last updated: 08-27-2005 10:32:18
