Chicago industrialist and founder (in 1875) of N.K. Fairbank Co., manufacturer of soap and baking products. The company's factory locations: Chicago, St. Louis, Montreal and Louisiana. Popular brands were Gold Dust Washing Powder (featuring the iconic Gold Dust Twins), and Fairy Soap (later purchased by Procter & Gamble). The company continued to employ over 1,000 people at the 19th Street plant in Chicago after his death.
Fairbank, AZ, was named after him--due to his financial backing of the railroad line there.