Boise City National Bank, Boise, ID (Charter 3471)
Boise City National Bank, Boise, ID (Chartered 1886 - Receivership 1932)
Town History
Boise (locally /BOY-see) is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. As of the 2020 census, there were 235,684 people residing in the city. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is 41 miles east of the Oregon border and 110 miles north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's elevation is 2,704 feet above sea level. The Boise metropolitan area, also known as the Treasure Valley, includes five counties with a combined population of 749,202, the most populous metropolitan area in Idaho. It contains the state's three largest cities: Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. The Boise–Nampa Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 77th most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States.
One possible origin of the name may derive from earlier mountain men who named the river that flows through the city. In the 1820s, French Canadian fur trappers associated with the British-owned Hudson's Bay Company set trap lines in the vicinity. Set in a high-desert area, the tree-lined valley of the Boise River became a distinct landmark, an oasis dominated by cottonwood trees. This led the French trappers to call the area "la rivière boisée" (the wooded river).
Boise had five National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and all five of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized March 9, 1886
- Chartered March 16, 1886
- 2: Receivership August 9, 1932
The Boise City National Bank was established in April 1886. The stockholders and directors were H. Wadsworth, treasurer of Wells Fargo & Co., San Francisco; E.A. Hawley of Hawley Bros. Hardware Co., San Francisco; and H.B. Eastman, A.H. Boomer, Joseph Perrault, and Alfred Eoff, of Boise City. Mr. Wadsworth was president and Mr. Eoff, cashier. With the exception of Mr. Perrault who resigned in 1887 and was succeeded by Walter S. Bruce, the officers above served the bank until 1904 when Mr. Wadsworth retired. In July 1906, Frank R. Coffin was elected president; Timothy Regan was re-elected vice president; James E. Clinton, cashier; and Fred Brown and B.W. Walker, assistant cashiers. In January 1911, Mr. Clinton was elected a vice president and F.F. Johnson made cashier. C.H. Coffin and W.V. Regan were elected assistant cashiers. The first home of the bank was in the building at the southeast corner of Seventh and Main Streets. A new bank was erected and occupied in 1892 at Eighth and Idaho Streets.
In 1914, the thoroughly remodeled building of the Boise City National Bank opened. The bank occupied its own massive stone bank and office building using the entire ground floor and basement. In the overhaul, a considerable expenditure of money was incurred for marble, bronze and fine woods employed throughout. The entrance to the bank was through bronze doors set in a large arch of Romanesque design. The vestibule was on grade level, finished in Tavernelle Italian marble of a rich hue. From it were steps leading to the banking room and also to the safety deposit department below. The main banking room had solid marble floors, marble columns, check desks and counter screen, finely wrought top screen, and beautiful Mexican mahogany wood. Three kinds of marble were used in this room, all imported French and Italian. Occupying a commanding position at the rear was a large clock with bronze dial and figures. On the left were the commodious quarters of the bank's officers These quarters were finished in solid mahogany with furniture to match. Passing around the room were, in succession, the note teller cage, collection teller, two receiving tellers, paying teller, statement teller, auditor and exchange, and ladies' teller. Between the paying teller and statement teller was the office of the assistant cashier in charge of the working force. All departments were connected with a telephone system. On the right was the ladies' waiting room with its own teller's window, and suitably equipped and furnished. This room was finished in solid Circassian walnut, one of the most beautiful features of the bank. Descending to the lower floor one entered on the left the directors' room, simply finished and furnished in fumed oak. Passing on one found a massive grill work guarding the inner office of the safety deposit vaults. There were two entrances to the vault, one at each end. They were guarded by doors constructed of the best tested steel, ground and milled to such precision that when shut they were absolutely air and liquid proof. The large one, a round door with its case, weighed 18 tons; the smaller weighed ten tons. The locks on the safe deposit vaults were unique. The new feature allowed the boxes to be quickly adjusted to open with any key selected by the renter and no other. When the box was surrendered, that key was destroyed. No two keys were alike.[4]
The officers and directors of the bank were F.R. Coffin, president; Timothy Regan, vice president; J.E. Clinton, vice president; F.F. Johnson, cashier; B.W. Walker, W.V. Regan, and C.H. Coffin, assistant cashiers; and C.S. Crawford, auditor. The directors were F.R. Coffin, Timothy Regan, Andrew Little, F.F. Johnson, C.H. Coffin, E.H. Davis, J.E. Clinton, W.V. Regan, E.M. Hoover, Leo J. Falk, and Thos. McMillan. The bank had, as of October 21, 1913, total resources of $3,262979.84, capital $250,000 and surplus and undivided profits $266,252.52.[5]
On Tuesday, January 12, 1932, the officers re-elected were F.F. Johnson, chairman of the board; C.H. Coffin, president; Charles A. McLean, vice president and cashier; Thomas McMillan, J.S. St. Clair, vice presidents; Bertie Estes, H.H. Morton, and Joseph A. Robinson, assistant cashiers.[6]
On August 1, 1932, the Boise City National bank, third in size of Boise's three banks, was turned over to the comptroller of the currency for liquidation. Closing of the bank was the first instance of the kind in Boise in 10 years.[7] The bank reported on June 30th deposits of $2,521,963 of which officers said a large part was public money protected by bonds. It had capital and surplus of $450,000. F.F. Johnson announced that the bank would not open and that an application would be made to the reconstruction finance corporation for funds to expedite liquidation.[8]
In December, J.L. Eckerson, receiver, said some 2,000 people with about $160,000 in the Boise City National Bank had yet to file claims with December 19th the last day to file. "We have written, telephoned and called on these people to file their claims. If they lose out it will be their own fault," according to Eckerson. A total of 3,060 clams had been filed.[9]
Official Bank Titles
1: The Boise City National Bank, Boise City, ID
2: The Boise City National Bank, Boise, ID [3/10/1906]
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $3,393,540 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1886 and 1932. This consisted of a total of 355,702 notes (313,792 large size and 41,910 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1: 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 410 Territory 1: 1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 411 - 2524 1: 1882 Brown Back 50-100 1 - 500 2: 1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 2000 2: 1902 Red Seal 50-100 1 - 400 2: 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 11750 2: 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 6800 2: 1902 Date Back 50-100 1 - 1134 2: 1902 Date Back 3x50-100 1 - 820 2: 1902 Plain Back 4x5 11751 - 46475 2: 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 6801 - 25341 2: 1902 Plain Back 3x50-100 821 - 1091 2: 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 4020 2: 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 1962 2: 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 636 2: 1929 Type 1 6x50 1 - 273 2: 1929 Type 1 6x100 1 - 94
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1886 - 1932):
Presidents:
- Henry Wadsworth, 1886-1903
- Hosea Bradford Eastman, 1904-1906
- Frank Rayle Coffin, 1907-1919
- Craig Hamilton Coffin, 1920-1921
- Frank Fisk Johnson, 1922-1925
- Craig Hamilton Coffin, 1926-1931
Cashiers:
- Alfred Eoff, 1886-1906
- James Edwin Clinton, Jr., 1907-1909
- Frank Fisk Johnson, 1910-1914
- Craig Hamilton Coffin, 1915-1918
- Charles Lowell Stewart, 1919-1925
- Charles Archibald McLean, 1926-1931
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Boise, ID, 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 Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, p. 209.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, p. 222.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, p. 224.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, pp 220-224.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, p. 224.
- ↑ The Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID, Wed., Jan. 13, 1932.
- ↑ The Great Falls Leader, Great Falls, MT, Mon., Aug. 1, 1932.
- ↑ The Capital Journal, Salem, OR, Mon., Aug. 1, 1932.
- ↑ The Idaho Statesman, Boise, ID, Wed., Dec. 14, 1932.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 88, Jan.-June 1914, p. 220.