Background
He was born in Orono, Penobscot County, Maine, the youngest of six children of Joseph Rider and Ellen Elizabeth (Holyoke) Farrington, and a descendant of John Farrington who was in Dedham, Massachussets, in 1646.
He was born in Orono, Penobscot County, Maine, the youngest of six children of Joseph Rider and Ellen Elizabeth (Holyoke) Farrington, and a descendant of John Farrington who was in Dedham, Massachussets, in 1646.
He was educated in the public schools, Bridgton Academy, and the State College (now University) of Maine (B. S. , 1891).
In academy and college, young Farrington exhibited a taste for journalism, and he went directly from the classroom into a newspaper office. After gaining a little experience in his home state and in Massachusetts, he became editor of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser in Honolulu, Hawaii, on January 2, 1895.
He was called back to the United States by the death of his father in 1897, but in the summer of 1898 he was again in Honolulu, this time as managing editor of the Evening Bulletin. As such and later as general business manager of the newspaper and the publishing company, Farrington was the guiding spirit of the Bulletin and its successor, the Star-Bulletin, during the remainder of his life, except his eight years as governor.
During his first sojourn in the islands, he strongly favored the annexation of Hawaii to the United States. When annexation was assured, he advocated a territorial form of government with the largest possible measure of local self-government. This having been granted by Congress, Farrington worked for statehood as the next goal in the political evolution of the islands.
He was convinced that Hawaii, even with its polyglot population so largely of Oriental origin, could be made a truly American community. He was especially interested in public education and served for several years as a commissioner of public instruction.
He had an important part in the establishment of the College (later University) of Hawaii and was a member and chairman of its board of regents for six years.
In 1921 President Harding appointed him governor of the Territory and he held that office for two full terms, declining a third appointment. Despite the exigencies of local politics, he was able to carry through practically all of the important policies initiated by him.
Ample revenues made possible an extensive program of much-needed public building, road construction, and harbor improvement.
He was a thorough believer in democracy.
Farrington was a lifelong Republican and one of the organizers of the Republican party in Hawaii, but he was not a slave to the party organization.
For more than twenty years, Farrington was engrossed in the work of building up his newspaper, but he was always very active in community affairs, and public questions claimed a large share of his thought.
He was a member and chairman of the College (later University) of Hawaii board of regents for six years.
He was a vigorous writer, an effective public speaker, and his numerous addresses to mainland audiences contributed to a more correct understanding of Hawaii's position and of conditions within the Territory.
On October 26, 1896, Farrington was married to Catharine McAlpine Crane; they had three children: Joseph Rider, Ruth, and Frances Crane.