Janet Fairbank (née Ayer; June 7, 1878 – December 28, 1951) was an American author and suffragist, socially and politically active in Chicago and a champion of progressive causes.

[1] Janet Ayer was born in Chicago, Illinois, on June 7, 1878.

[2] She was the older sister of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margaret Ayer Barnes.

They had three children including the operatic singer Janet Fairbank (1903–1947).

[5][2] Fairbank died in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, on 28 December 1951, aged 73.