Charles Fishburn Zimmerman (Huntingdon, PA)
Charles Fishburn Zimmerman (June 21, 1878 – Oct. 9, 1954)
Biography
- Name: Charles Fishburn Zimmerman
- Birth: June 21, 1878 Allen's Cove, Penn Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania near Duncannon, PA
- Death: October 9, 1954 Huntingdon, PA (Buried Duncannon, PA)
Early life and family
Charles Fishburn Zimmerman was born in Allen's Cove, Penn Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania on June 21, 1878, the son of Lucien Calvin and Clara Reed (Steele) Zimmerman. He attended Duncannon public schools and from 1895-1898 Lafayette College. He then transferred to Princeton University graduating in 1900 followed by a year of post-graduate work. On September 10, 1903 he was united in marriage to Eleanor Graydon Hinckley, daughter of Judge Hinckley of Danville.
In Lebanon, he purchased the Isadore Lawn home on 325 Chestnut St. where he moved his family in 1918.
On October 17, 1918, just 42 days after his arrival at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, as part of the Officers Training Corps, Charles' brother, James Gilland Zimmerman, became ill with the flu and died. In January 1930, thirty-three young veterans placed their names on a charter to open American Legion Post #340 located in Duncannon, in the name of this beloved and much admired local young man who died at the age of 28 years. James had been a bookkeeper in the Chambersburg Trust Company for two years before taking a job with the Lehigh Portland Cement Company.
Banking career
Charles F. Zimmerman was chairman of the board of the First National Bank of Huntingdon. He was chairman of the Group Five of the Pennsylvania Bankers' Association 1919-1921 and then served with distinction as secretary of the Pennsylvania Bankers' Association for 28 years, 1921-1949. He served on many state and national committees in an advisory capacity. He was active in the American Bankers' Association from 1922-1952 and served as a director of the United States Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC and as a director of the Pennsylvania State Chamber of Commerce.
He began his banking career in the First National Bank of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as a correspondence clerk. When the Steelton Trust Company was organized in 1902 he was offered a position and in 1906 became its treasurer. In 1912 he was elected treasurer of the Lebanon County Trust Company at Lebanon. After 14 years in which time the assets of the institution had quadrupled, he tendered his resignation which the board reluctantly accepted. He went to Huntingdon in 1926, succeeding the late Oscar Irwin as president of the First National Bank and served in that position from March 28, 1926 to June 30, 1952 and as chairman of the board from July 1, 1952 until is death.
Other career highlights
- President, Lebanon Boy Scout Council;
- Treasurer of the John Stover War Stamp Society, an organization devoted to supporting soldiers during World War I;
- Treasurer of the J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital (1926-1954) and Secretary of the Board of Directors (1937-1954);
- Directorship of the Huntingdon County Library;
- Service to the Huntingdon Community Center;
Later life and death
Charles F. Zimmerman was one of Huntingdon's most widely known residents and had been ill for three weeks. He was admitted to the J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital on September 15, 1954 and passed away at noon on Saturday, October 9, 1954. The funeral was held on Tuesday, October 12 at the First Presbyterian Church in Huntingdon with Rev. J. Raymond Powell officiating. Interment was made in Duncannon Cemetery in Perry County with members of the board of directors serving as honorary pallbearers. Surviving at the time were his wife, three children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild and a brother and two sisters.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, C. F. Zimmerman was involved with the following bank(s):
- First National Bank of Harrisburg, PA (Charter 201): Correspondence Clerk 1902
- Steelton Trust Company, Steelton, PA: 1902-1905, Treasurer 1906-1912
- Lebanon County Trust Company, Lebanon, PA: Treasurer 1912-1926
- First National Bank, Huntingdon, PA (Charter 31): President 1926-1952, Chairman of the Board 1952-1954
- First National Bank of Stoystown, PA (Charter 5682): Director 1930
Sources
- Findagrave.com: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42838544/charles-fishburn-zimmerman
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://bbdata.banknotehistory.com
- H.H. Hain, History of Perry County, Pennsylvania. (Harrisburg, PA: Hain-Moore Company, 1922), p. 855.
- Evening Report, Lebanon, PA, Sat., Nov. 23, 1918.
- Mount Union Times, Mount Union, PA, Fri., Jan. 15, 1954
- The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, Mon., Oct. 11, 1954.
- The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, Wed., Oct. 13, 1954.
- The Gettysburg Times, Gettysburg, PA, Thu., Oct. 14, 1954.
- The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA, Mon., Oct. 18, 1954.