Fourth National Bank, Pittsburgh, PA (Charter 432)

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NEEDED: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.
NEEDED: a contemporary postcard or photo of the bank.

Fourth National Bank, Pittsburgh, PA (Chartered 1864 - Liquidated 1910)

Town History

Pittsburgh City Hall ca1898
Pittsburgh City Hall ca1898

Pittsburgh is a city in the state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 302,971 living within the city limits making it the 68th-largest city in the U.S. and the second-most populous city in Pennsylvania, behind Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh metropolitan area is the anchor of Western Pennsylvania; its population of 2.37 million is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania, and the 27th-largest in the U.S.

Pittsburgh had 47 National Banks chartered during the Bank Note Era, and 46 of those banks issued National Bank Notes. Pittsburgh also had several Obsolete Banks that issued Obsolete Bank Notes during the Obsolete Bank Note Era (1782-1866).

Bank History

On Tuesday, April 5, 1864, at a meeting of the Coal Merchants, the project for the establishment of the Fourth National Bank of Pittsburgh, started. The question of organizing such a bank, the largest portion of the stock to be held by men in the coal business, and a majority of the directors to be coal dealers was discussed, and a committee appointed to ascertain the views of the dealers generally. The gentlemen composing this committee were among Pittsburgh’s heaviest coal men, viz: J.M. Bailey, J.F. Herron, J.F. Dravo and J. O'Connor. Books of subscription to the stock were opened at the office of James O'Connor, Esq., on Market Street, where an opportunity was available each day between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., until the 19th of April, for persons to subscribe to the stock.[1]

On May 23rd, the bank was open and doing business at the banking house located at No. 55 Market Street, between Third and Fourth Streets, next door to Messrs. Holmes & Sons, bankers. Stockholders were comprised of iron manufacturers, cotton manufacturers, wholesale grocers, petroleum and refined oil merchants, insurance companies, savings banks, ministers, lawyers, retired capitalists, steamboat owners, lumber merchants, coal merchants and embodied a fair and wealthy representation of all the interests of Pittsburgh. James O'Connor was president. The directors were James M. Bailey of McCreery, Bailey & Dilworth; William Vankirk of Alexander Bradley, N.J. Bigley, D.M. Smith of A.D. Smith & Bro., W.W. Ball of Pennock, Ball & Co., J.M. Horner, Thomas Smith of Allegheny City, John F. Herron of McClurken, Herron & Co.[2]

In January 1865, the stockholders elected the following directors: James O'Connor, David M. Smith, James M. Bailey, John F. Herron, N.J. Bigley, Thos. Smith, R.H. King, Wm. Rea, and Thomas Donnelly. The capital stock was $200,000, surplus $7,573.38, deposits $859,158.80 and circulation $200,000.[3][4] Thos. Donnelly was president and Butler Ward, cashier.[5]

In January 1867, the directors were Thos. Donnelly, D.M. Smith, Jas. M. Bailey, Thos. Smith, R.H. King, N.J. Bigley, John F. Herron, J.M. Kirkpatrick and Jno. C. Couch. Thos. Donnelly was president and D. Leet Wilson, cashier.[6]

In February 1870, the directors were Thos. Donnelly, N.J. Bigley, John Mellon, John S. Willock, Thos. Smith, James M. Bailey, D.H. Toomy, Alex. Patterson, and W.W. McGregor. The officers were Thomas Donnelly, president; Thos. Smith, vice president; and S.D. Herron, Jr., cashier.[7]

On Tuesday, January 8, 1889, the directors were James M. Bailey, John M. Horner, Jacob Porter, Stephen C. McCandless, John B. Jackson, Jon D. Nicholson, and Samuel D. Herron, Jr.[8]

On Monday, February 14, 1910, at 3 p.m., a meeting of the stockholders of the Fourth National Bank was held at the banking house, 212 Fourth Avenue, for the purpose of voting upon the proposition to place the bank in voluntary liquidation under the provisions of sections No. 5220 and No. 5221, United States Revised Statutes. For more information on the consolidation, see the bank history page for the National Bank of Western Pennsylvania.[9]

Official Bank Title

1: The Fourth National Bank of Pittsburgh, PA

Bank Note Types Issued

1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of S.D. Herron, Jr., Cashier and James M. Bailey, Vice President.
1882 Brown Back $5 bank note with pen signatures of S.D. Herron, Jr., Cashier and James M. Bailey, Vice President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions www.ha.com
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of George H. Fulton, Cashier and James M. Bailey, President.
1882 Brown Back $10 bank note with pen signatures of George H. Fulton, Cashier and James M. Bailey, President. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions www.ha.com

A total of $2,056,340 in National Bank Notes was issued by this bank between 1864 and 1910. This consisted of a total of 248,896 notes (248,896 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
Original Series 4x5 1 - 16750
Original Series 3x10-20 1 - 4050
Series 1875 4x5 1 - 250
Series 1875 3x10-20 1 - 5800
1882 Brown Back 4x5 1 - 6112
1882 Brown Back 3x10-20 1 - 8561
1902 Red Seal 4x5 1 - 6000
1902 Red Seal 3x10-20 1 - 4900
1902 Date Back 4x5 1 - 6050
1902 Date Back 3x10-20 1 - 3751

Bank Presidents and Cashiers

Bank Presidents and Cashiers during the National Bank Note Era (1864 - 1910):

Presidents:

Cashiers:

Other Bank Note Signers

Wiki Links

Sources

  • Pittsburgh, PA, 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
  1. The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., Apr. 9, 1864.
  2. The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon., May 23, 1864.
  3. The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh, PA, Mon. Jan. 9, 1865.
  4. The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., Jan. 11, 1865.
  5. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Sep. 15, 1865.
  6. Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Fri., Jan. 18, 1867.
  7. Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Sat., Feb. 19, 1870.
  8. Pittsburg Dispatch, Pittsburgh, PA, Wed., Jan. 9, 1889.
  9. Pittsburgh Daily Post, Pittsburgh, PA, Thu., Jan. 6, 1910.