Albert Fairfax
Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Albert Kirby Fairfax, 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (23 June 1870 – 4 October 1939) was an American-born British peer and politician who sat in the House of Lords. Born at Northampton, in Largo, Prince George's County, Maryland, Fairfax was discovered to be the rightful holder of his title after it had been essentially forgotten by his family (which had resided in the United States for several generations). After researchers determined Albert Kirby Fairfax to be the 12th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, his title was allowed by the House of Lords in 1908. His father was John Fairfax, 11th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, and his mother was Mary Brown Kirby. He was a member of Fairfax & Company, of George Street, London. He was a partner of Bonbright & Company, George Street, London. He was naturalized as a UK citizen on 17 November 1908. He was elected a Scottish Representative Peer and served in that capacity from 19 October 1917 to his death on 4 October 1939. Lord Fairfax of Cameron married Maude Wishart McKelvie, daughter of James McKelvie, in 1922. They had two sons.
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest branch of the U.S. military and the most senior in order of precedence. It has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed on 14 June 1775 to fight against the British for independence during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784 to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself a continuation of the Continental Army, and thus considers its institutional inception to be the origin of that armed force in 1775. Following the Civil War, the U.S. Army had the mission of containing western tribes of Native Americans on the Indian reservations. They set up many forts, and engaged in the last of the American Indian Wars. U.S. Army troops also occupied several Southern states during the Reconstruction Era to protect freedmen. The key battles of the Spanish–American War of 1898 were fought by the Navy. Using mostly new volunteers, the U.S. forces defeated Spain in land campaigns in Cuba and played the central role in the Philippine–American War. Elihu Root was United States Secretary of War under presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, 1899–1904.
He reformed the organization of the War Department. He enlarged West Point and established the U.S. Army War College, as well as the General Staff. He changed the procedures for promotions and organized schools for the special branches of the service. He also devised the principle of rotating officers from staff to line.[30] General Samuel Baldwin Marks Young became the first chief of staff in 1903-1904. According to Louis Cantor, Root designed a dual role for the National Guard - a militia for state service and a trained reserve for the regular army. Congress enacted this system embodied in the Dick Act (1903). Prior to 1903, the senior military officer in the army was the Commanding General of the United States Army, who reported to the Secretary of War. From 1864 to 1865, Major General Henry Halleck (who had previously been Commanding General) served as "Chief of Staff of the Army" under the Commanding General, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant, thus serving in a different office and not as the senior officer in the army.
Lord Fairfax of Cameron is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Despite holding a Scottish peerage, the Lords Fairfax of Cameron are members of an ancient Yorkshire family, of which the Fairfax baronets of The Holmes are members of another branch. From 1515 to about 1700 the family lived at Denton Hall. Charles I created the title in 1627 for Sir Thomas Fairfax. He had represented Queen Elizabeth I on several diplomatic missions to James VI of Scotland and also sat as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies in the English Parliament. Both his son Ferdinando, the second Lord, and grandson, Thomas, the third Lord, served as prominent military commanders in the cause of Parliament during the Civil War. On the latter's death in 1671 the title passed to his first cousin, the fourth Lord. He was the son of Reverend Henry Fairfax, second son of the first Lord, and notably represented Yorkshire in the House of Commons. His son, the fifth Lord, sat as a Member of Parliament for Malton and Yorkshire.
He was succeeded by his son, the sixth Lord. He inherited substantial estates in Virginia through his mother, the daughter of Thomas Colepeper, 2nd Baron Colepeper, Governor of Virginia. On his death the title and American estates passed to his younger brother, the seventh Lord. He represented Maidstone and Kent in Parliament. The immense American estates were confiscated during the American War of Independence. He was awarded £13,758 in 1792, by Act of Parliament for the relief of American Loyalists. He was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the eighth Lord, Rev. Bryan Fairfax who also lived in Virginia. He was the grandson of Reverend Henry Fairfax, second son of the fourth Lord. However, it wasn't until 1800 that he was confirmed in the title by the House of Lords. His great-great-grandson was Albert Kirby Fairfax, the twelfth Lord, who lived in Maryland in the United States. His branch of the family had lived in America for several generations and had essentially forgotten about the title. However, it was then discovered that Albert was the rightful heir to the lordship and in 1908 he was confirmed in the title by the Committee for Privileges of the House of Lords. In 1917 he was elected a Scottish representative peer, which he remained until his death in 1939.
Awards: Insignia of the Medal of Honor.
