Seattle National Bank, Seattle, WA (Charter 4229)
Seattle National Bank, Seattle, WA (Chartered 1890 - Closed 1929)
Town History
Seattle is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2022 population of 749,256, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The Seattle metropolitan area's population is 4.02 million, making it the 15th-largest in the United States. Its growth rate of 21.1% between 2010 and 2020 made it one of country's fastest-growing large cities.
Seattle is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington. It is the northernmost major city in the United States, located about 100 miles (160 km) south of the Canadian border. A major gateway for trade with East Asia, Seattle is the fourth-largest port in North America in terms of container handling as of 2021.
Logging was Seattle's first major industry, but by the late 19th century, the city had become a commercial and shipbuilding center as a gateway to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. Growth after World War II was partially due to the local Boeing company, which established Seattle as a center for aircraft manufacturing. The Seattle area developed into a technology center from the 1980s onwards with companies like Microsoft becoming established in the region; Microsoft founder Bill Gates is a Seattleite by birth. Internet retailer Amazon was founded in Seattle in 1994, and major airline Alaska Airlines is based in SeaTac, Washington, serving Seattle's international airport, Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.
The culture of Seattle is heavily defined by its significant musical history. Between 1918 and 1951, nearly 24 jazz nightclubs existed along Jackson Street, from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene nurtured the early careers of Ernestine Anderson, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and others. The city is also the origin of rock acts such as Foo Fighters, Heart, and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the grunge subgenre of rock and its pioneering bands Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden.
Seattle had 21 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 15 of those banks issued National Bank Notes.
Bank History
- Organized November 22, 1889
- Chartered February 11, 1890
- Assumed 4124 by consolidation August 8, 1903 (Boston National Bank, Seattle, WA)
- Assumed 2966 by consolidation May 14, 1910 (Puget Sound National Bank, Seattle, WA)
- Closed October 31, 1929
- Consolidated with 11280 October 31, 1929 (Union NB/Dexter Horton/First Seattle, Seattle, WA)
- Circulation assumed by 11280 (Union NB/Dexter Horton/First Seattle, Seattle, WA)
Organized in 1889 and opened for business February 11, 1890, its statement on February 28th of that year showed capital of $125,000 and deposits of $60,000. The bank first occupied a small corner room in the Pacific Building at Occidental and Yesler Way, the old financial center of early Seattle. Business moved uptown and the Seattle National moved its quarters in the Haller Building at Second Avenue and Columbia. Subsequently, these quarters proved too meagre and the bank in ~1919 built the Seattle National Bank Building just opposite its former home. The building had a 106-foot frontage on Second Avenue and an area of 12,500 square feet. The story of the progress of this bank largely reflected the rapid growth of Seattle.[1]
In February 1890, the officers were G.W.E. Griffith of Lawrence, Kansas, president; W.R. Ballard, vice president; and Fred Ward, cashier. The bank had capital of $250,000.[2]
In 1909, the home of the Seattle National Bank at Second Avenue and Columbia Street had one of the most commodious and best arranged banking rooms in the city, a great advantage during rush hours when large crowds of customers visit the bank. The counter work extending down one side and across the end of the lobby was of Italian Paso-Navo marble and bronze. The officers' desks and rooms were finished in mahogany. The opposite side of the lobby had chairs and writing desks with a separate writing room for ladies. The directors' room was located in the north-east corner of the bank on a level with the roof of the vaults and was reached by a small winding stair. It was finished in leaded glass and Philippine mahogany. Recently, the system was inaugurated where paying and receiving occurred at the same window which has worked entirely to the satisfaction of both bank and customer.[3]
In 1920, the officers were Daniel Kelleher, chairman; J.W. Spangler, president; R.V. Ankeny, P.B. Truax, William S. Peachy, E.G. Ames, and J.H. Newberger, vice presidents; H.C. MacDonald, cashier; C.L. LaGrave, E.K. Reiley, and C.W. Moore, assistant cashiers; William Kahlke, manager, foreign department. The board of directors consisted of Messrs. Kelleher, Spangler, Ankeny, Truax, Peachy, Ames, and MacDonald.[4]
The bank's distinctive trademark was an adaptation of the design of its original corporation seal. It featured the likeness of famous Chief Seattle, or Sealth, the Indian form of the word. The choice was a fitting symbol of Seattle's growth and prosperity as it was due to the friendly attitude of Chief Seattle that the city grew and prospered in its early days. Chief Seattle, born at Port Madison, near Seattle in 1790, died in 1866. He was chief of several closely allied tribes, among them the Duwamish, Suquamish and Samamish. Always very friendly to the early setters, he was instrumental in giving them information about an uprising against them and intended massacre, thus enabling them to prepare and defend themselves.[5]
On February 20, 1929, Daniel Kelleher, 65, chairman of the board of directors of the Seattle National Bank died suddenly. He headed the board for many years and was president of three other banks--the Bank for Savings, Seattle; the Bank of Commerce, Everett, and the Bank of Commerce, Anacortes.[6]
On Monday, March 11, 1929, The Board of Directors of The Seattle National Company, a subsidiary owned and controlled by the stockholders of The Seattle National Bank, announced the election of Mr. Francis H. Brownell as Chairman of Board. Mr. Brownell, who for many years practiced law in Seattle and Everett, Washington, was the First Vice President and Chairman of the Finance Committee of the American Smelting Refining Company, with headquarters in New York City, and was also a Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the Chase National Bank of New York; Director and Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Northern Pacific Railway Company; Director of The Mortgage Bond Company; Director and Chairman of Executive Committee of the General Cable Corporation; Director and Member of Executive Committee of the Republic Brass Corporation; Chairman of Board and President of Federal Mining Smelting Company; President of the Copper Institute; and Chairman of the Copper Exporters, Inc. The members of the Board of Directors managing these interlocking corporations were identical. The Directors of The Seattle National Bank also announced the appointment of Mr. Campbell Kelleher as a Director succeeding his father, the late Mr. Daniel Kelleher, and his election as Vice President and Trust Officer. The Board of Directors of The Seattle National Company also announced the appointment of Mr. Campbell Kelleher as a director. The Board of Directors of The Bank for Savings in Seattle announced the election of Mr. J. W. Spangler as President, succeeding the late Mr. Daniel Kelleher. The Bank for Savings in Seattle was owned and controlled by The Seattle National Company, which in turn was owned by the stockholders of The Seattle National Bank. Brownell, heavy investor in the Pacific Northwest, spent summers there, residing at a country place on Bainbridge Island.[7][8]
On October 31st, 1929, Seattle's three leading banks were merged as First Seattle Dexter Horton National Bank Group. The First National Bank of Seattle moved across the street to its new quarters in the Cherry Street room, formerly Dexter Horton National Bank room. The executives were W.H. Parsons, chairman of the board of directors, M.A. Arnold, president; J.W. Spangler, chairman, executive committee; J.D. Hoge, vice chairman, board of directors; and J.A. Swalwell, executive vice chairman, board of directors. The bank had capital, surplus and undivided profits of $13.5 million and resources over $115 million making this the largest financial institution in the Pacific Northwest.[9]
Official Bank Title(s)
1: The Seattle National Bank, Seattle, WA
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $8,255,450 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1890 and 1929. This consisted of a total of 207,122 notes (207,122 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 4x5 1 - 18550 1882 Brown Back 50-100 1 - 5070 1882 Date Back 4x5 1 - 2985 1882 Date Back 50-100 1 - 465 1902 Date Back 50-100 1 - 5000 1902 Date Back 3x50-100 1 - 16000 1902 Plain Back 3x50-100 16001 - 24978
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1890 - 1929):
Presidents:
- George Washington Ewing Griffith, 1890-1891
- Edward Williamson Andrews, 1892-1913
- Frederick Karl Struve, 1914-1919
- James William Spangler, 1920-1928
Cashiers:
- Fred. Ward, 1890-1891
- Robert Gay Hooker, 1892-1895
- S. Foster Kelley, 1896-1907
- James Willard Maxwell, 1908-1909
- Rollin V. Ankeny, 1910-1913
- William Samuel Peachy, 1914-1916
- Homer Crosley MacDonald, 1917-1928
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Seattle, WA, 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. 100, Jan. 1920-June 1920, pp 273-278.
- ↑ The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA, Sun., Feb. 23, 1890.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 78, Jan. 1909 to June 1909, pp 979-80.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 100, Jan. 1920-June 1920, pp 273-278.
- ↑ The Bankers' Magazine, Vol. 100, Jan. 1920-June 1920, pp 273-278.
- ↑ Spokane Chronicle, Spokane, WA, Thu., Feb. 21, 1929.
- ↑ The Seattle Star, Seattle, WA, Mon., Mar. 11, 1929.
- ↑ The Seattle Star, Seattle, WA, Tue., Mar. 12, 1929.
- ↑ The Seattle Star, Seattle, WA, Mon., Nov. 11, 1929.