Born on October 3, 1864, near Charleston, Missouri, Faris attended the Washington University School of Law and then received a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Pedagogy in 1889 from the University of Missouri.

[1][2] Faris was nominated by President Woodrow Wilson on October 11, 1919, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri vacated by Judge David Patterson Dyer.

He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 13, 1919, and received his commission the same day.

His service was terminated on February 6, 1935, due to his elevation to the Eighth Circuit.

[1] Faris was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 14, 1935, to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated by Judge William S. Kenyon.