Union National Bank, Bartlesville, OK (Charter 9567)
Union National Bank, Bartlesville, OK (Chartered 1909 - Liquidated 1988)
Town History
Bartlesville is a city in Washington County and Osage County, Oklahoma. Bartlesville is 47 miles north of Tulsa and 18 miles south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Caney River runs through Bartlesville. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. In 1900 the population was 698, growing to 14,763 by 1930.
Bartlesville is the primary city of the Bartlesville Micropolitan area, which consists of Washington County and had a population of 51,843 in 2018. A small portion of the city is in Osage County. The city is also part of the Tulsa Combined Statistical Area, with a population of 1,151,172 in 2015.
Bartlesville is notable as the longtime home of Phillips Petroleum Company. Frank Phillips founded Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville in 1905 when the area was still an Indian Territory. The company merged with Conoco as ConocoPhillips and later split into the two independent companies, Phillips 66 and ConocoPhillips. Both companies have retained some operations in Bartlesville, but they have moved their corporate headquarters to Houston.
Bartlesville had six National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and four of those banks issued National Bank Notes. The four note issuing banks were First National Bank of Bartlesville, OK (Charter 5310), Bartlesville National Bank/First NB in Bartlesville, OK (Charter 6258), American National Bank, Bartlesville, OK (Charter 7032), and Union National Bank, Bartlesville, OK (Charter 9567).
Bank History
- Organized October 19, 1909
- Chartered October 25, 1909
- Succeeded 7032 (American National Bank, Bartlesville, OK)
- Bank was Open past 1935
- For Bank History after 1935 see FDIC Bank History website
- Failed July 21, 1988. Received Gov't Assistance until closed.
- Succeeded by Arvest Bank, Fayetteville, Arkansas
On Monday, October 25, 1909, the Union National Bank opened for business in the building formerly occupied by the American National Bank which had gone into liquidation. The deposits of the American National had been transferred to the new institution, its building and business having been purchased. The officers of the new bank were as follows: M.F. Stilwell, president; Dr. Howard Weber, first vice president; Dr. R.D. Rood, second vice president; W.C. Raymond, cashier. The directors were Clint Moore, Judge J.J. Shea, H.V. Foster, H.C. Moore. John H. Brennan was attorney for the bank. The Union National takes the accounts and liabilities of the old institution but also gets a sufficient amount of gilt edge security to protect it from loss. The assets taken over by the new bank consisted of $500,000 and the deposits were $375,000. Remarkably, the Union National was able to raise $100,000 in actual cash in a few hours by the men who subscribed for the stock. F.W. Bryan, national bank examiner who had been inspecting conditions in the bank regarded it as a little short of wonderful that in a city the size of Bartlesville such an amount of money in cash could be raised in so short a time. All of the stockholders and officers of the Union National were oil producers and well-known in financial circles.[2]
In May 1915, the Union National Bank, officered by M.F. Stilwell, president; R.L. Beattie, H.V. Foster, and J.H. Markham, Jr., vice presidents; H.C. Moore, cashier and F.A. Foster, assistant cashier, had capital $100,000, surplus $50,000, and deposits $994,530.14. The officers of the First National Bank were: Dr. G.W. Sutton, president; Geo. B. Keeler, and A.D. Morton, vice presidents; Frank Bucher, cashier; and P.O. Bucher, assistant cashier. It had capital and surplus of $100,000 and deposits averaging around $450,000. The Bartlesville National Bank, managed by Frank Phillips, president; H.J. Holm, vice president; L.E. Phillips, cashier; F.J. Spies, Jr., assistant cashier; J.L. Overlees, Frank M. Breene, and J.G. Phillips reported capital, surplus and undivided profits of $199,229.38 and deposits of $1,174,288.93. The Bartlesville State Bank with Frank C. Raub, president; Wayne Mendell, R.S. Bradley and Dr. O.S. Somerville, vice presidents; G.R. McKinley, cashier; and J.C. Hagerman, assistant cashier, was the largest state bank in northern Oklahoma. It opened in 1908 and had capital $40,000, surplus and profits $1,726.25 and deposits $386,471.52. Bartlesville had a regularly organized clearing house with Frank C. Raub as president, Frank Phillips, vice president; P.O. Bucher, secretary and treasurer; and J.M. Hockensmith, manager.[3]
In 1923, planned construction of a new bank building and office by the Union National Bank at a cost of about $200,000 was another marking stone in Bartlesville's progress.[4]
On Saturday night, October 25, 1924, thousands passed through the portals of the new Union National Bank building and feasted their eyes on the lavish beauty of the banking room with its ante-rooms. The banking room was decorated with ferns and flowers sent in from banks and friends all over the United States including banks from New York and Kansas City. Strains from the hidden Weber orchestra added to the occasion. Flowers were given to the ladies and cigars to the men. One of the chief points of interest was the immense safety deposit vault in the rear of the main corridor. Another outstanding point was the directors' room on the mezzanine floor which was magnificent in its carved walls and Tudor luxuriousness.[5] The officers and their wives received the guests. H.E. Hulen, vice president and cashier, took a station in the middle of the lobby to help direct the crowd to the right were Marshal Hockensmith, assistant cashier, passed out cigars to the men and flowers to the women. The bank had bough all the rose in town and nearly 2,000 were gone long before the first hour of the reception had passed. Then there was a hurried call to the green houses for carnations and any other flowers they had and this supply was also soon exhausted. Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Beattie, Mr. and Mrs. H.V. Foster, and Mrs. H.H. McClintock stood in the line in the office of the president. The lights blazed from every floor of the seven-story building and was the first time Bartlesville had seen the place entirely lighted.[6]
Mortimer Stilwell was the moving spirit in the organization in 1909 of the Union National Bank. It began by taking over the assets of the old American National Bank. Mr. Stilwell was a man of faith and vision and had abounding confidence in Bartlesville, loving it with an intense devotion to the end. Hal Moore who became a prominent Tulsa oil man was the first cashier, Mr. Stilwell being its first president. Howard Weber and J.J. Shea furnished the backing which made the bank possible. On March 1, 1912, R.L. Beattie took active charge of the bank with the title of vice president, relieving Mr. Stillwell from active work. Later H.V. Foster was elected to the presidency, a position he held until January 1924 when Mr. Beattie was elected president and Mr. Foster chairman of the board. The Union National Bank began on the corner of Third and Johnstone and the bank continued to expand its quarters and business on the same corner. An addition 50 feet east of the corner room was purchased in 1920, but plans made to remodel in 1922 were delayed on account of excessive cost of building. Definite decision to build was reached in the spring of 1923 and work was started toward securing architects and doing the preliminary work.
In size the building was 50 feet wide and 120 feet deep, constructed of cut stone and brick with an elaborate tile cornice and a granite base. The building was erected at a cost of more than $250,000 and was built without the employment of a general contractor. The architects were Whitcomb Engineering Co. of St. Louis and the late M.E. Graybill supervised the construction under the general direction of the officers and directors of the bank and of the assistant cashiers charged with many of the details. American walnut was extensively employed in the interior. No pillars or posts marred the interior of the main lobby. The walls were of travertine and the Rose Trabernille Italian marble used in the fixtures and finish was the choicest of decorative marbles. Bronze trimmings combined with the walnut and marble gave an air of richness and distinction to the lobby. The ceiling was of ornamental plaster. The main lobby had a 25 foot ceiling and was 45 feet square. The safety deposit vaults were in the rear and contained 900 boxes. The building had two elevators running from the ground floor entrance which was combined with the bank entrance.[7]
In January 1925, the directors were H.V. Foster, chairman of the board; R.L. Beattie, H.H. McClintock, H.E. Hulen, James A. Sivalls, John S. Irwin, R.D. Rood, Don M. Tyler. The officers were R.L. Beattie, president; H.H. McClintock, vice president; H.E. Hulen, vice president and cashier; J.M. Hockensmith and C.V. Sellers, assistant cashiers.[8] Dr. H.C. Weber was omitted from the list of directors due to a typographical error.[9] In October 1925 the officers were H.V. Foster, chairman of the board; H.E. Hulen, president; H.H. McClintock and H.C. Weber, vice presidents; C.V. Sellers, cashier; J.M. Hockensmith and R.R. Witmer, assistant cashiers; Jas. A. Sivalls, R.D. Rood and D.M. Tyler, directors. The bank at the close of business on September 28, 1925, had total assets of $3,202,377.83 with capital $200,000, surplus and undivided profits $131,172.22, circulation $24,700, and deposits $2,846,465.61.[10]
In January 1960, the directors were Scott Beesley, Jr., Joe J. Crow, Paul F. Dahlgren, C.W. Doornbos, O.E. Everly, John M. Holliman, John M. Kane, Gentry Lee, Lloyd, Lynd, Walter C. Martin, C.W. Staats, D.M. Tyler, John W. Tyler, and R.R. Witmer. The officers were D.M. Tyler, chairman; Scott Beesley, Jr., president; R.R. Witmer, executive vice president; O.E. Everly, vice president; C.L. Drisko, cashier; C.E. Lanham, assistant vice president; C.B. Humphrey, assistant cashier; and R.E. Whitson, auditor. The bank began drive-in banking at the new Union National Motor Bank.[11]
In July 1966, Melvin L. Ford, vice president of the First National Bank & Trust Co. of Ponca City was named president of the Union National Bank in Bartlesville. Ford, 44, succeeded Charles E. Lanham who resigned. The new president was a director of the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of Oklahoma State University.[12]
On Thursday, August 2, 1973, Melvin L. Ford, president of the Union National Bank in Bartlesville and a prominent civic leader died after suffering an apparent heart attack. Ford, born in California but reared in Cherokee, began his banking career in Ponca City after serving in the Navy in World War II. He also served in the Army's Criminal Investigation Division during the Korean War. He served with the First National Bank & Trust in Ponca City for 26 years, assuming the presidency of the Bartlesville bank in 1966.[13]
On Sunday, February 15, 1976, Russell R. Witmer, 78, retired vice president of the Union Bank and Trust Co. in Bartlesville, died in a Tulsa hospital. Witmer retired in 1962 after 47 years with the former Union National Bank, now the Union Bank and Trust Co. Born and reared in Van Buren, Indiana, Witmer was a long-time member of the Masonic Lodge at Bartlesville and a charter member of the Order of the Eastern Star there.[14]
In January 1984, the Union Bank & Trust Co. in Bartlesville acquired The Dewey Bank and made it a branch.[15] The Dewey Bank's failure was the first in Oklahoma in 1984, followed in September by the Community Bank & Trust Co. in Enid. Community Bank, founded 20 years ago, was the 57th bank in the U.S. to close in 1984, a record post-World War II year for bank failures.[16]
On Friday, July 22, 1988, Union Bank and Trust Co. offices in Bartlesville and Dewey reopened as branches of First National Bank in Bartlesville. Regulators closed Union and approved its acquisition by First National Thursday. The acquisition was described by Donald Doty, president and chief executive officer of First National as "in the best interest of the customers, the community and the financial institutions involved." State bank commissioner Wayne Osborn attributed Union's troubles to the severe economic downturn in the city. The former Union Bank office in Bartlesville was one and one-half blocks from the First National Office. Doty said management was interested in keeping the Dewey branch open, but probably would consolidate the Bartlesville offices.[17] First National would change its name on Monday, August 1st to WestStar Bank. The bank included offices in Bartlesville, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. First Bancshares Inc., the holding company for WestStar Banks also owned Exchange National Bank in Tulsa, located at 4500 S. Garnett Road, the only bank in the southeast quadrant of Tulsa. First National and Union Bank and Trust of Bartlesville were long-standing stalwarts of the company town dominated by Phillips Petroleum Co. Union bank with nonperforming loans of $11.8 million first opened its doors in 1909.[18]
In March 1994, Arvest Bank Group of Bentonville, Arkansas, announced plans to make a cash purchase offer to shareholders of First Bancshares Inc. of Bartlesville. The First Bancshares board cleared the way for the deal by Arvest, a bank holding company with assets of $1.6 billion owned by the Sam Walton Family. First Bancshares owned Weststar Bank with offices in Bartlesville, Dewey and Oklahoma City, and WestStar Bank in Tulsa, a sister organization. At year end First Bancshares' assets exceeded $470 million. Arvest had banking interests in the Bank of Bentonville, First National Bank of Siloam Springs, First National Bank of Rogers, Springdale Bank and Trust, McIlroy Bank in Fayetteville and Farmers and Merchants Bank in Prairie Grove, all in Arkansas; 50% of Security National Bank and Trust Co. of Norman; and State Bank in Tulsa. Walter Allison, chairman and CEO of First Bancshares Inc. said that price was important, however, "The Arvest philosophy has helped alleviate our concerns," and that "WestStar would continue as a separate bank with its own local board of directors responsible for meeting the financial needs of the community."[20] In May shareholders of WestStar Bank approved the sale to Arvest Bank Group.[21]
- 02/20/1975 Changed Institution Name to Union Bank and Trust.
- 03/01/1984 Acquired The Dewey Bank (FDIC #4079) in Dewey, OK.
Official Bank Title
1: The Union National Bank of Bartlesville, OK
Bank Note Types Issued
A total of $873,360 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1909 and 1935. This consisted of a total of 110,392 notes (45,384 large size and 65,008 small size notes).
This bank issued the following Types and Denominations of bank notes:
Series/Type Sheet/Denoms Serial#s Sheet Comments 1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 2450 1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 1960 1902 Plain Back 4x5 2451 - 6824 1902 Plain Back 3x10-20 1961 - 4522 1929 Type 1 6x5 1 - 5016 1929 Type 1 6x10 1 - 2478 1929 Type 1 6x20 1 - 752 1929 Type 2 5 1 - 9258 1929 Type 2 10 1 - 5039 1929 Type 2 20 1 - 1235
Bank Presidents and Cashiers
Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1909 - 1935):
Presidents:
- Mortimer Florer Stilwell, 1910-1916
- Henry Vernon Foster, 1917-1923
- Robert Lee Beattie, 1924-1924
- Hugh Edward Hulen, 1925-1935
Cashiers:
- William Colvin Raymond, 1910-1910
- Harold Clinton ("Hal") Moore, 1911-1915
- Robert Lee Beattie, 1916-1918
- Hugh Edward Hulen, 1919-1924
- Cloyd Vernon Sellers, 1925-1927
- James Marshall Hockensmith, 1929-1935
Other Known Bank Note Signers
- No other known bank note signers for this bank
Bank Note History Links
Sources
- Bartlesville, OK, on Wikipedia
- Photos of Arvest Bank in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, courtesy of Google Maps ca2023
- 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
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Sun., Oct. 31, 1909.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Tue., Oct. 26, 1909.
- ↑ Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, MO, Sun., May 16, 1915.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Sun., Dec. 30, 1923.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Sun., Oct. 26, 1924.
- ↑ Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Bartlesville, OK, Sun., Oct. 26, 1924.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Sat., Oct. 25, 1924.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Wed., Jan. 14, 1925.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Thu., Jan. 15, 1925.
- ↑ Morning Examiner, Bartlesville, OK, Tue., Oct. 6, 1925.
- ↑ Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Bartlesville, OK, Sun., Jan. 3, 1960.
- ↑ The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, Sat., July 23, 1966.
- ↑ The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, Sat., Aug. 4, 1973.
- ↑ Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, Mon., Feb 16, 1976.
- ↑ The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, OK, Thu., Jan. 12, 1984.
- ↑ Sapulpa Daily Herlad, Sapulpa, OK, Sun., Sep. 16, 1984.
- ↑ Sapulpa Daily Herald, Sapulpa, OK, Fri., July 22, 1988.
- ↑ Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, Wed., July 27, 1988.
- ↑ Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, Sun., Feb. 19, 1995.
- ↑ Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, Wed., Mar. 2, 1994.
- ↑ The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Sat., May 21, 1994.