Farris was born on August 8, 1867, in Lebanon, Missouri. He was the son of J.W. or J.T. Farris. He was educated in Lebanon and Marionville, Missouri.[2][3]
His marriage certificate to his first wife, Emma Miller, was issued in Greenfield, Missouri, on May 14, 1884, when he was under age.[3] Emma died in April 1905 or 1906, leaving him with three children. He married again, to Cora Shanks of St. Louis, in Idaho Springs, Colorado, in August 1906. They divorced in 1922, the same year he married Bertha Dent, 22, his stenographer.[4][5]
He died of cancer at the age of 59 on September 1, 1926, in Rolla.[6]
The funeral was held late Sunday evening, September 5, 1926, on the lawn of his home in Rolla at his request. Officiating was the Reverend Calvin R. Dobson of St. Louis. Seven incumbent state senators attended.[6]
He was a Mason and a member of the Knights of Pythias. He was survived by grown daughters Mrs. Arch Grubb of Rolla, Missouri; Mrs. R.L. Johnson of Allen, Oklahoma; Mrs. L.O. Williams of Palm Beach, Florida, and infant daughter Mary Susan Farris.[5][6]
