Harold Pegram Fabian was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on April 1, 1885. Mr. Fabian attended public schools in Salt Lake City and the Mercersburg (PA) Academy, received an A.B. from Yale in 1907 and an LL.B. from Harvard University in 1910. He returned to Salt Lake City and began practicing law in the firm of Dey, Hoppaugh and Fabian. He remained in Utah throughout his life and eventually became the senior partner in the firm of Fabian and Clendenin of Salt Lake City.

Through his partner, Beverly Clendenin, Fabian met Horace Albright, the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, around 1920 and formed a fast friendship. At the same time a group of Jackson Hole residents were making plans to preserve the Teton Mountains from unrestricted development and had recruited Albright to their cause. Albright, in turn, impressed John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with the vision of their plans while Mr. Rockefeller was on a tour of the West in 1926. Superintendent Albright took Mr. Rockefeller to view the Teton Mountains and Jackson's Hole, and Mr. Rockefeller very quickly began to organize a preservation plan. The firm of Fabian and Clendenin was contacted to act as counsel, and Fabian became the Western representative of Mr. Rockefeller and the person responsible for organizing and operating the Snake River Land Company. The Snake River Land Company was incorporated in 1927. It was formed to acquire property for eventual inclusion in the Grand Teton National Park. Fabian was not at first aware of the program's sponsor but probably knew by 1929, by which time the purchasing program was earnestly underway.

One of the immediate problems to arise was the continued operation of a tourist lodge and cabins at Moran, Wyoming. About 70,000 tourists per year went through Jackson Hole at the time, and tourism was an important facet of the local economy. The response was to organize the Teton Companies in 1930. Their purpose was to provide lodging and transportation for tourists in cooperation with the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

This activity did not go unchallenged. Some local residents, especially cattle ranchers, resented what they considered to be a "takeover" by wealthy Easterners and a tyranny by the National Park Service. This disgruntlement led to several investigations. One of the most critical for the fledgling organization was conducted in 1930 by the Senate Special Committee on Wild Life Resources which examined the Land Company records, surveyed the country, and held hearings in Jackson Hole. The Committee returned a favorable report, finding no wrongdoing or scandalous machinations by Mr. Rockefeller, Jr. or the Snake River Land Company. Later investigations reported similar findings.

By 1933 the Snake River Land Company had acquired over 32,000 acres which fulfilled the majority of its purchasing program. With purchases mostly complete, the Company concentrated on management. It had acquired several ranches that were used to produce hay for the elk refuge, wildlife park and local market. It required a great deal of effort to refurbish, maintain and operate these ranches. There were encroachment problems and leases to negotiate and a good deal of intercourse between the Company and the Jackson Hole community to handle. Richard Winger filled a central role in fulfilling these functions. Overshadowing these daily affairs was a decade-long dispute with the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company over water rights in several lakes in the Jackson Hole area.

The Teton Companies were also very active throughout the 1930s. The Teton Investment Company was organized in 1930 and in turn organized the Teton Lodge Company and the Teton Transportation Company. The Lodge Company consisted of the Teton Lodge at Moran and the Jackson Lake Lodge on Jackson Lake. The Transportation Company provided the over-the-mountain connection between Jackson Hole, the Union Pacific Railroad, and Yellowstone National Park. In 1936 a reorganization merged the separate entities into the Grand Teton Lodge and Transportation Company, and in 1956 another reorganization let to the creation of the Grand Teton Lodge Company. The corporate changes reflected the growth of tourism and the need for facilities to accommodate that growth.

Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. was also formed to accommodate changing conditions. In 1940 the Land Company transferred its holdings to what shortly became the Jackson Hole National Monument. The new organization was formed to carry on the role of preservation. Property supervision continued, but increasingly more effort was directed toward enhancing the quality of the preserved area.

The restoration of Menor's Ferry was the first such effort. Fabian and his wife Josephine were deeply involved in this project to reconstruct the ferry and ranch buildings. Beyond the physical reconstruction they especially wanted to remember the pioneers of the area and their history. A wildlife park, constructed in 1946, was another effort to preserve the original beauty of Jackson Hole.

Concomitantly, Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. broadened its role by participating in conservation efforts throughout the United States. This was a result both of Laurance S. Rockefeller's energetic leadership and the general understanding that conservation is a national issue.

Harold Fabian retired from active business in 1954, but he never relinquished either his interest in Jackson Hole or his concern for conservation issues. He continued an active career working for conservation and historic preservation on both the national and state levels. He remained a Trustee of Jackson Hole Preserve, Inc. until his death in 1975.