Charles V. Fornes
Encyclopedia
Charles Vincent Fornes was a United States Representative from New York. Born on a farm near Williamsville
, Erie County
, he attended the public schools, and was graduated from Union Academy (in Lockport
) in 1864. He moved to Buffalo
in 1866, taught school in a district school, and then served as principal of a Buffalo public school for three years. He was employed as a clerk for a wholesale woolen merchant in Buffalo and later established a similar business for himself. In 1877 he moved to New York City and engaged in business as an importer and jobber
of woolens. He was president of the board of aldermen of New York City from 1902 to 1907, and was trustee and director of several banks and corporations.
Fornes was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth, Sixty-first, and Sixty-second Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1907 to March 3, 1913. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1912 and resumed his former business pursuits in New York City. He retired from active business in 1926 and returned to Buffalo, where he died in 1929; interment was in United German and French Roman Catholic Cemetery, Pine Hill, Buffalo.
Williamsville, New York
Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,573 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler...
, Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
, he attended the public schools, and was graduated from Union Academy (in Lockport
Lockport (city), New York
Lockport is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 21,165 at the 2010 census. The name is derived from a set of Erie canal locks within the city. Lockport is the county seat of Niagara County and is surrounded by the town of Lockport...
) in 1864. He moved to Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
in 1866, taught school in a district school, and then served as principal of a Buffalo public school for three years. He was employed as a clerk for a wholesale woolen merchant in Buffalo and later established a similar business for himself. In 1877 he moved to New York City and engaged in business as an importer and jobber
Jobber
Jobber may refer to:* A being or tool that "jobs", pecks, or stabs, such as:**Jobber, a length of drill bit**Nut-jobber, a nuthatch**Tree-jobber or wood-jobber, a woodpecker* A brand of printing press by Golding & Company...
of woolens. He was president of the board of aldermen of New York City from 1902 to 1907, and was trustee and director of several banks and corporations.
Fornes was elected as a Democrat to the Sixtieth, Sixty-first, and Sixty-second Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1907 to March 3, 1913. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1912 and resumed his former business pursuits in New York City. He retired from active business in 1926 and returned to Buffalo, where he died in 1929; interment was in United German and French Roman Catholic Cemetery, Pine Hill, Buffalo.