Representative George Washington Faris

George Washington Faris (June 9, 1854 – April 17, 1914) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served three terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1895 to 1901. His congressional service took place during a significant period in American history, and as a member of the House of Representatives he participated in the national legislative process and represented the interests of his Indiana constituents.

Faris was born on June 9, 1854, near Rensselaer, Jasper County, Indiana, to James and Margaret Faris. He was educated in the public schools of Indiana, reflecting the expanding system of common schooling in the post–Civil War Midwest. His early life in rural Indiana provided the background for a career that would combine legal practice with public service.

Faris pursued higher education at Asbury University in Greencastle, Indiana, an institution that was later renamed DePauw University. He graduated from Asbury University in 1877. During or following his college studies he read law, as was customary in the period before formal law schools became predominant. In 1877 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Indianapolis, Indiana, beginning a professional career that would remain rooted in legal work even as he moved into politics.

In 1880, Faris relocated to Terre Haute, Indiana, where he continued the practice of law. He became active in Republican Party politics and, in 1884, was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for judge of the circuit court. Although he did not win that judicial post, his candidacy helped establish his public profile and connections within the party. In his personal life, Faris married Anna Claypool in 1878; she was the daughter of Solomon Claypool, a prominent Indiana attorney and political figure, a connection that further linked Faris to the state’s legal and political circles.

Faris was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth, Fifty-fifth, and Fifty-sixth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1901, as a Representative from Indiana. During these three terms in the United States Congress, he contributed to the legislative process at a time marked by industrial expansion, debates over tariffs and currency, and the nation’s emergence as an international power. Faris served as chairman of the Committee on Manufactures during the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses, a role that placed him at the center of legislative consideration of issues affecting American industry and production. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1900, thereby concluding his congressional career after six years of service.

After leaving Congress in 1901, Faris resumed the practice of law in Terre Haute, Indiana. Shortly thereafter he moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his legal practice, likely drawing on his congressional experience and familiarity with federal institutions. He remained in Washington, engaged in the practice of law, until his death in that city on April 17, 1914. George Washington Faris was interred in Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana, returning in death to the community that had been central to his legal and political life.