National German American Bank, Saint Paul, MN (Charter 2943)

Sketch of the National German American Bank

National German American Bank, Saint Paul, MN (Chartered 1883 - Liquidated 1912)

Town History

Saint Paul (usually abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is located in the east central part of the state.

Saint Paul is the county seat of Ramsey County, the smallest and most densely populated county in Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city. Known as the "Twin Cities", the two form the core of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States, with about 3.6 million residents.

Founded near historic Native American settlements as a trading and transportation center, the city rose to prominence when it was named the capital of the Minnesota Territory in 1849. The Dakota name for Saint Paul is "Imnizaska". Regionally, the city is known for the Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild, and for the Science Museum of Minnesota.

The settlement originally began at present-day Lambert's Landing, but was known as Pig's Eye after Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant established a popular tavern there. When Lucien Galtier, the first Catholic pastor of the region, established the Log Chapel of Saint Paul (shortly thereafter to become the first location of the Cathedral of Saint Paul), he made it known that the settlement was now to be called by that name, as "Saint Paul as applied to a town or city was well appropriated, this monosyllable is short, sounds good, it is understood by all Christian denominations".

The city had a population of 1,112 in 1850, climbing to 271,606 in 1930, with a high of 313,411 reached in 1960, an estimated 307,695 people reside here as of 2018.

Saint Paul had 17 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 15 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Saint Paul also had seven Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).

Bank History

• Organized April 17, 1883
• Chartered May 9, 1883
• Succeeded German-American Bank
• Suspended August 4, 1893
• Resumed October 30, 1893
• Liquidated November 27, 1912
• Consolidated with 2020 (Merchants National Bank, Saint Paul, MN)
• Circulation assumed by 2020 (Merchants National Bank, Saint Paul, MN)

On April 13, 1883, the corporators met and selected the board of directors for the new institution: Conrad Gotzian, Wm. Lindeke, Ferdinand Willius, Alex Sternberg, Gen. Alfred H. Terry, J.B. Sanborn, F. Knauft, Alex. M. Drake, H.M. Knox, Adolphus, Paar, P.R.L. Hardenburgh, Channing Seabury, Jas. H. Weed, Joseph Lockey, B.C. Howes, Gustave Willius, Walter Mann, Dr. F.R. Smith and W.S. Culbertson.

The German American Bank of St. Paul was transformed into a National Bank with two million in capital stock. The new bank opened for business on Monday, May 14, 1883 with Walter Mann as president, B.C. Howes, vice president, Gustav Willius, cashier and Joseph Lockey, assistant cashier. Mr. Ferdinand Willius retired as president of the German-American bank and Gen. J.B. Sanborn presented him with a solid silver service of six pieces in the board room prior to a commemorative service of a collation for associate directors and officers. More than a quarter of a century had passed since Ferdinand Willius took his position as head of the banking institution. Gen. Sanborn noted that during this time the few river steamboats that gave some eight hundred miles of steam transportation have been reinforced by three thousand five hundred miles of railroads in Minnesota and now direct and immediate connection by water, railroad and telegraph with the whole commercial world was possible. The territory of a few thousand people had been followed by the state of more than one million people. The new bank had over 250 stockholders and at $2 million in capital. St. Paul had one of ten such banks in the United States.

The National German American Bank occupied the old German-American Bank on Third street with a 20 by 40 foot extension for the clerical force. The bank purchased the property on the corner of Fourth and Robert streets and plans were prepared by Messrs. Wirth & Eltzner, architects, for an especially adapted building to handle the immense business of the bank.

The prosperity of St. Paul banking institutions in 1885 was reflected in the fact that the First National Bank had just completed and occupied the structure at the corner of Fourth and Jackson Streets costing over $100,000; The National German-American Bank was just completing a building at the corner of Fourth and Robert streets of 100X150 feet, six stories high, costing over $200,000; and the Bank of Minnesota was laying the foundations for a structure at the corner of Jackson and Sixth streets costing about $150,000. The National German American Bank moved into its new building and opened on Monday, May 18, 1885.

Official Bank Title

1: The National German American Bank of Saint Paul, MN

Bank Note Types Issued

1902 Red Seal $10 bank note with pen signatures of D.S. Culver, Cashier and J.W. Lusk, President.

1882 Brown Back $20 bank note with pen signature of J.W. Krapfel, Cashier and stamped signatures of Joseph Lockey, President. Courtesy of Lyn Knight Auctions, www.lynknight.com

A total of $1,271,950 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1883 and 1912. This consisted of a total of 125,852 notes (125,852 large size and No small size notes).

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

Series/Type	Sheet/Denoms	Serial#s	Sheet Comments
1882 Brown Back	3x10-20	1 - 4875
1902 Red Seal	3x10-20	1 - 11800
1902 Date Back	4x5	1 - 10040
1902 Date Back	3x10-20	1 - 4748

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1883 - 1912):

Presidents:

• Walter Mann, 1883-1883
• Gustav Otto Conrad Willius, 1884-1889
• Joseph Lockey, 1890-1893
• James Whiting Lusk, 1894-1912

Cashiers:

• Gustav Otto Conrad Willius, 1883-1883
• Joseph Lockey, 1884-1889
• John W. Krapfel, 1890-1893
• Joseph Lockey, 1894-1902
• Donald Stewart Culver, 1903-1908
• Henry Von der Weyer, 1909-1912

Other Known Bank Note Signers

• No other known bank note signers for this bank

Bank Note History Links

• National German American Bank, Saint Paul, MN History (NB Lookup)
• The Willius Brothers of St. Paul and Ethnic Banking in Minnesota (SPMC PM#225)
• Minnesota Bank Note History (BNH Wiki)

Sources

• Saint Paul, MN, 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 Saint Paul Globe, Saint Paul, MN, Thu., May 3, 1883.
• The Saint Paul Globe, Saint Paul, MN, Sun, May 13, 1883.
• The Saint Paul Globe, Saint Paul, MN, Sun., May 18, 1885.
• The Saint Paul Globe, Saint Paul, MN, Sun., May 31, 1885.
• Skaffaren och Minnesota Stats Tidning, Minneapolis, MN, Wed., Sep. 3, 1890.