Born in Unionville Center , Ohio , Fairbanks moved to Indianapolis after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University . He became an attorney and railroad financier , working under railroad magnate Jay Gould . Fairbanks delivered the keynote address at the 1896 Republican National Convention and won election to the Senate the following year . In the Senate , he became an advisor to President William McKinley and served on a commission that helped settle the Alaska boundary dispute
1896 Republican National Convention
1896 Republican National Convention
Charles W. Fairbanks