Dean Fausett

William Dean Fausett (July 4, 1913 – December 13, 1998) was an American painter. His career spanned over six decades. He painted notable figures like Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Grandma Moses, Ezra Taft Benson, and Sir Alexander Fleming. His brother Lynn Fausett was also a painter. Fausett also purchased the historic house of Cephas Kent, Jr. in Dorset, Vermont and was instrumental in it the forming of the Kent Neighborhood Historic District.

Early life Dean Fausett was born in Price, Utah, in 1913. His parents were George A. Fausett and Helen Josephine Bryner Fausett. He was one of their eight children, and his brother Lynn Fausett was an artist also. Fausett's parents were pioneers to Carbon County, Utah. Fausett was raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fausett studied at Brigham Young University, the Beaux Arts Institute of Design, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, and Eastern Illinois University. He painted murals depicting maps of Grant's Civil War battles in Grant's tomb. These murals were painted over, however in the 1970s. They were restored and rededicated in 1995. Eisenhower also requested that one of Fausett's paintings, Derby View, hang in the White House study. The painting hung in the president's office for his entire eight-year term, being loaned from the Museum of Modern Art.

From 1939 to 1940, Fausett was the director of the Herbert Institute of Art located in Augusta, Georgia. He painted several murals during this time. Fausett also painted other murals for the United States Air Force and the United States Capitol. Fausett was later commissioned by United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower to be an artist-consultant for the chief of staff of the Air Force. This position allowed him to see up close and paint flying jets. He painted for over six decades. His works were romantic landscapes. He painted portraits of United States presidents Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. He also made portraits for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Grandma Moses, Ezra Taft Benson, Sir Alexander Fleming, Grandma Moses, and others. Fausett was also named a fellow of the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation.

Later life in Vermont After World War II, in 1945 Fausett bought a home in Dorset, Vermont which he believed was the Cephas Kent Dwelling. He advocated that the site be a historical landmark. Due to his influence, the property and surrounding areas, the Kent Neighborhood Historic District were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

During this time, Fausett was part of the Southern Vermont Artists Inc. As part of his contributions to the organization, he secured a permanent art center that began in 1950. He served as chairman of the organization from 1959–1960.