Bogota National Bank, Bogota, NJ (Charter 11543)

The old Bogota National Bank building ca2020. It was acquired in 1977 by Valley National Bank. Courtesy of Google Maps

Bogota National Bank, Bogota, NJ (Chartered 1919 - Open past 1935)

Town History

The Bogota National Bank building from a 1962 advertisement. The location was Palisades Avenue and Main Street, Bogota, New Jersey.

Bogota is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, and is located on the east shore of the Hackensack River. It is about 15 miles northwest of Lower Manhattan. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 8,187, reflecting a decline of 62 (−0.8%) from the 8,249 counted in the 2000 Census. In 1900 the population was 337.

Bogota was formed on November 14, 1894, from portions of Ridgefield Township, based on the results of a referendum held that day. The borough was formed during the "Boroughitis" phenomenon then sweeping through Bergen County, in which 26 boroughs were formed during 1894 alone. Portions of Bogota were taken in 1895 to form part of the newly created Township of Teaneck. Bogota was named in honor of the Bogert family, which had been the first European settlers to occupy the area, and may also be a blend of Bogert and Banta, another early family, with an "O" added to ease pronunciation.

The borough's name is pronounced /bəˈɡoʊtə/ buh-GOH-tə, unlike Bogotá, capital city of Colombia, which is accented on the final syllable.

Bogota had one National Bank chartered during the Bank Note Era and it issued National Bank Notes.

Bank History

• Organized December 8, 1919
• Chartered December 12, 1919
• Bank was Open past 1935
• Title change to Bankers National Bank in 1970
• Acquired by Valley National Bank June 1977

In December 1919, the recently organized Bogota National Bank planned to open shortly at No. 5 East Fort Lee Road, Bogota. Most of the stock had been taken. The directors were Wm. N. Smith, E.W. Howell, Chas. L. Pearce, Peter F. Hopper, Wm. R. Leers, M.S. Ayers, Clarence F. Walker, Roger Williams, and George Hebeler. Wm. N. Smith was president and E. Winchester Howell was the vice president. The cashier was J. Edward Greer of Edgewater who was well-known in banking circles. The assistant cashier was Victor J. Ludwig who was the borough collector for many years and the secretary of the Bogota Building and Loan Association. The bank had capital of $25,000 and surplus of $5,000.

Bankers National, formerly Bogota National Bank, served the area of Bogota for over 50 years. Bankers assumed its new name in 1970 in conjunction with the approval of the Comptroller of the Currency for its first full service branch office to open in 1971 at Franklin Turnpike and Lake Street, Ramsey. Members of the board were Frank S. Gannon, president; Stuart Coven, John J. Dolan, Paul Dutko, Edward B. Haines, John Heck, Charles W. Kraus, Charles W. Pousson, Jr., and George M. Van Doren.

On Monday, May 5, 1975, the merger of Elmwood State Bank into Bankers National became effective according to BNB president and chief executive officer, William O'B. Kelly. Bankers National had resources of more than $55 million and three offices in Bogota, Ramsey and Elmwood Park.

Valley National made its first entry into Bergen County in June 1977 with the acquisition of Bankers National Bank and its offices in Bogota, Elmwood Park and Ramsey. In 1981, Valley National acquired Fair Lawn State Bank with two offices in Fair Lawn, NJ, giving Valley National offices in Bergen, Essex, Passaic and Morris Counties.

Official Bank Title(s)

1: The Bogota National Bank, Bogota, NJ

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Plain Back $5 bank note with printed signatures of J.E. Greer, Cashier and William N. Smith, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1902 Plain Back $5 bank note with printed signatures of Victor Ludwig, Assistant Cashier and William N. Smith, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

1929 Type 2 $5 bank note with printed signatures of Frank O. Hordich, Cashier and Charles L. Pearce, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com

A total of $672,620 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1919 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 108,016 notes (32,788 large size and 75,228 small size notes).

This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1902 Plain Back	4x5	1 - 8197
1929 Type 1	6x5	1 - 5786
1929 Type 1	6x10	1 - 3314
1929 Type 2	5	1 - 14004
1929 Type 2	10	1 - 6624

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1919 - 1936):

Presidents:

• William Nightingale Smith, 1920-1930
• Charles Lawrence Pearce, 1931-1935

Cashiers:

• John Edwin Greer, 1920-1932
• Frank Oscar Hordich, 1933-1935

Other Bank Note Signers

• Edward Winchester Howell, Vice President 1920...1935 Signature
• Victor J. Ludwig, Assistant Cashier 1920...1928

Wiki Links

• New Jersey Bank Note History
• General information on Bogota (Wikipedia)
• General information on Bergen County (Wikipedia)
• General information on New Jersey (Wikipedia)

Sources

• Bogota, NJ, on Wikipedia
• Don C. Kelly, National Bank Notes, A Guide with Prices. 6th Edition (Oxford, OH: The Paper Money Institute, 2008).
• Dean Oakes and John Hickman, Standard Catalog of National Bank Notes. 2nd Edition (Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1990).
• Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
• The Record, Hackensack, NJ, Wed., Dec. 3, 1919.
• The Record, Hackensack, NJ, Thu., Dec. 11, 1919.
• The Record, Hackensack, NJ, Sat., Jan. 3, 1920
• The Record, Hackensack, NJ, Mon., Nov. 26, 1962.
• The News, Paterson, NJ, Sat., Oct. 17, 1970.
• The News, Paterson, NJ, Wed., May 7, 1975.
• The Record, Hackensack, NJ, Thu., July 23, 1981.