George Henry Catlin (Scranton, PA)
George Henry Catlin (Aug 25, 1845 – Jun 8, 1935)
Biography
- Name: George Henry Catlin
- Birth: August 25, 1845 Shoreham, Addison County, VT
- Death: June 8, 1935 Scranton, PA (buried Dunmore, PA)
On June 8, 1935, George H. Catlin, 89, one of the organizers of the Third National Bank and a director of the institution since its founding in 1872, died in the early morning at 2:15 o'clock in his home, 232 Monroe Avenue. He had been ill for the past two weeks. Mr. Catlin, through his long service with the bank, had the distinction of being the holder of the longest record as a bank director in the country. He served 63 years. He also was the bank's first vice-president and continued in this capacity for more than 25 years.
Born in Shoreham, Vermont on August 26, 1845, Mr. Catlin was educated at Newton Academy, Shoreham; at Vermont Episcopal Institute, Rock Point, near Burlington, Vermont; and Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. He studied law and received the degree of LL. B. from Union College in 1866 and the degree of M.A. from Lafayette College in 1867. Mr. Catlin was admitted to the bar at Albany, New York, and for two years practiced law as the junior member of the firm of Pope, Thompson and Catlin, New York City. In 1870 Mr. Catlin moved to Scranton and had been a prominent figure in its financial life since that time.
The Third National Bank was first opened for business at 504 Lackawanna Avenue on Monday, April 15, 1872. A few weeks later on July 29th it moved to the old Republican building, 115 Wyoming Avenue. The organization dated from March 1, 1872, at which time a meeting of the stockholders was held in the office of Hand & Post and Alfred Hand was elected president and George H. Catlin, vice president.[2]
Besides his affiliations with the Third National Bank, he was a director of the old Scranton Savings Bank for many years until its consolidation with the old Savings and Dime Bank. He was a former director of the Scranton Railway Company, the Erie and Wyoming Railroad, and for seventeen years served on the board of directors of the Crown Point Iron Company of Crown Point, New York.
Mr. Catlin was a Presbyterian and was active in the affairs of the First Presbyterian Church before its merger into the present Westminster Church. He also served on the board of trustees of the old First Church. Politically he was always a staunch Republican. The prominent bank director first married Mary Woodrow Archbald on September 4, 1867. She was a daughter of James Archbald, Sr., then chief engineer of the Lackawanna Railroad and an aunt of Col. James Archbald, president (1928-1935) of the Miners National Bank of Pottsville. Mrs. Catlin died in 1902. On June 1, 1904, Mr. Catlin married Helen Walsh of Carbondale. Mr. Catlin's death marked the second demise among the officials of the Third National Bank within a comparatively short period; William H. Peck, chairman of the board of directors of the institution, died two months earlier.[3]
The Lackawanna Historical Society is headquartered at the Catlin House in Scranton's Hill Section. The former residence of George H. Catlin, an early financier in the city, and his wife, Helen, the home is one of Scranton's architectural treasures. Designed by architect Edward Langley and built in 1912, the Tudor Revival style home is a stately example of the upper-class homes of its time. The three-story, sixteen-room residence features walnut woodwork, molded plaster ceilings, brass lighting fixtures, a three-paneled stained glass window, and six fireplaces. Most of the furnishings are original to the Catlin and Archbald estates and the décor is reminiscent of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The house was bequeathed to the Lackawanna Historical Society by Mr. Catlin, a lifetime member, who died in 1935. The LHS received the property in trust upon Mrs. Catlin's death in 1942. At present, the structure serves as a museum and accommodates office space, a research library, exhibit rooms, storage rooms, and a lecture area.
Bank Officer Summary
During his banking career, Geo. H. Catlin was involved with the following banks:
- Third National Bank/Third NB & TC, Scranton, PA (Charter 1946): VP 1887...1895
- Scranton Savings Bank: Director 1892[4]
Sources
- George H. Catlin, on Findagrave.com
- Banks & Bankers Historical Database (1782-1935), https://spmc.org/bank-note-history-project
- Lackawanna Historical Society. The LHS is headquartered at the Catlin House in Scranton's Hill Section. The former residence of George H. Catlin, an organizer and first vice president of the Third National Bank of Scranton, and his wife, Helen, the home is one of Scranton's architectural treasures.