[2] Fairbanks was active in several other business ventures, including construction of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway from Portland, Maine to Ogdensburg, New York.

[1] In 1869 he was elected to the Vermont State Senate;[2] He served one term, but illness prevented him from attending sessions regularly.

[1] He was a delegate to the 1872 Republican National Convention, as well one of Vermont's 1872 presidential electors.

[2] Elected Governor of Vermont in 1876, Fairbanks served a two-year term.

[2] His term included initiatives such as establishing the state board of agriculture, improvement to conditions in state prisons and county jails, and statewide licensing requirements for medical doctors.