George F. Fairman

George F. Fairman was born at Plessis, H.Y., January 17, 1861, and when nine years of age moved with his parents to Adams, N.Y., and from there to Big Rapids in 1873. He attended the schools at the three places mentioned and then took a course in the Swensburg Business College, at Grand Rapids. January 1, 1878, he returned to his home in this city and entered the bank of Fairman and Potter as bookkeeper continuing his connection with the bank until 1888, when he went to Grand Rapids, where for the next two years he was engaged in the drug business. The year 1892 he spent in Chicago then returning to this city and engaging in the drug business in the same block in which his store is now located.

Mr. Fairman conceived the idea of selling drugs and propriety medicineupon the same plan as other merchandise is old - with a reasonable profit over cost. Many predicted that this method could not be made a success in the drug business, but Mr. Fairman soon demonstrated the falsify of their contentions, and his business has continued to grow until today he has the largest retail drug business in Michigan, north of Grand Rapids.

Mr. Fairman is one of those liberal and broad minded citizens who are endevoring to push Big Rapids to the front and is connected with a considerable number of the prominent business enterprises which go toward making this an up-to-date and hustling little city. He is president of the Falcon Manufacturing Co., a stockholder and trustee of the Ferris Institute, a stockholder and director of the Citizens' State Bank, treasurer and manager of the Fairman Block Co. and treasurer of the Big Rapids Board of Trade.

Mr. Fairman, while always ready to put his shoulder to the wheel to assist in any enterprise which advance the interests of his city or county, has never taken any active part in politics, and the only office which has ever held in that of member of the Board of Public Works, although he has repeatedly declined nominations for city offices.

Mr. Fairman was married in August of 1894 to Miss A. May Trowbridge, of this city, and their home is one of the beauty spots of the city, as the accompanying illustration shows.