First State Bank History

Larned Background up to July 5, 1896 ● Founders of the Bank - 1900 ● Larned Business - 1904 ● H. H. Reed - World War I ● John Wagner - 1933 ● 1933-1949 ● 1949-1959 ● 1959-1967 ● Reed Peters - 1975 ● New Building - 1989 ● 1986-1996 ● 100 years ● Begin the Next 100 Years ● 2000's

H.H. Reed - World War I

H. H. Reed was the third President of First State Bank. He was born on June 21, 1851, in Buffalo Village, Pennsylvania. Henry H. had sold his grocery business in Cambridge, Ohio, to come west, and he along with his two brothers, James P. and Luther, moved to Pawnee County, Kansas in 1876.

He entered the grocery business at 421 Broadway in Larned in partnership with Wm. DuMont, where he made a specialty of beating all competitors prices on boots and shoes, while running a cash only store.

Elected as a director of First State Bank on October 1, 1900, he served in that position until 1935. Henry H. Reed became President of First State Bank on January 4, 1904 and continued until 1907. He served as Vice President from 1921 to 1935. He was a leader in Larned for over fifty-five years.

Henry H. Reed married Anna, DuMont sister of Mrs. E.E. Frizell and Mrs. H.M. Halloway, and lived at 923 Main where they raised five sons, H. Mont, A.E., Fred B., H. Leon, and Harry. H.H. Reed was the grandfather of Norma Reed Crawford, and the great grandfather of Reed A. Peters. Henry H. died on March 5, 1937, after living in Larned for 61 years.

W. D. Fox was elected to the bank's board of directors on January 4, 1904, and served until his death in 1913. Mr. Fox moved to Larned in 1882 at the age of 28 and became a successful farmer, cattleman, and horseman. Later in life he became a hardware merchant. The Foxs had three children when they moved to Larned, and seven more after arriving for a total of ten. A grandson, Roger G. Fox lives in Larned and is a bank stockholder today. W.D. Fox was also the great grandfather of Pat Seeman, who has been an officer of First State Bank since 1977, and is currently a Vice President

1904 - 1910

In 1904, the United States began construction on the Panama Canal and continued on until 1914, when it was completed. In 1905, a $500,000 contract was let for construction in Garden City of a sugar beet factory. And Wichita became known as the "broom corn capital of the world."

The great fire and earthquake shook San Francisco in 1906.

The battleship, Kansas, was commissioned by the Navy in 1905, and Governor Hoch, a firm believer in prohibition, suggested that the ship be christened with Kansas Crude Oil and not champagne. Forgoing the Kansas Crude Oil, it was on August 12, that Hoch's daughter instead christened the battleship with Kansas Springwater and the vessel was launched. Even so, the U.S. Marines, believing that it was bad luck to christen the ship with water did not want to serve on the Kansas. To accommodate the marines, the captain brought on a bottle of champagne and had the ship rechristened.

By 1906, farmers in the western counties of Kansas were plowing 35 - 40 acres a day using steam tractors and pulling gang plows. Wheat acreage continued to increase because harvesting and threshing could be done more quickly.

In December of 1907, First State Bank encouraged every school boy and girl in Pawnee County to become the "business people of the future" by coming into the bank and receiving a free lead pencil with the bank's compliments. If the child couldn't come to town they were instructed to send in their parents with a written request signed by the child for the pencil.

CHARLES E. LOBDELL

Charles E. Lobdell was elected to the board in 1905 and served on the board for seven years. He was First State Bank's fourth President from 1908 through 1910.

Lobdell was born on September 21, 1861, in Osawatomie, Kansas. He became a lawyer and banker, and served as Butler County Attorney from 1885 to 1887. He was elected a State Representative in 1891 and held the speaker of the house position in 1895. While in Larned he also served as President of the Citizens State Bank in Jetmore and the First State Bank in Tribune. In October 1911, he resigned as Judge in the 33rd judicial district to accept the presidency of First National Bank in Great Bend, Kansas. In 1916, Mr. Lobdell was appointed by President Wilson to the Federal Land Bank Board, and later served as fiscal agent for the federal land and intermediate land banks. He resumed private practice in 1929.

Charles Lobdell died at the age of 87 on January 29, 1949, in Allendale, New Jersey. He had had a law firm Lobdell & Co., in New York City, but resided in West Orange, New Jersey prior to his death.

Mr. Lobdell built the home on the southwest corner of Fourth and State, where he lived for ten years.

During Charles E. Lobdell's Presidency at First State Bank, F.D. Lowrey was the Cashier. The other directors were E.E. Frizell, L.A. Choat, Geo. P. Baxter, H.H. Reed, Geo. W. Finney, W.D. Fox, F.D. Lowrey, and H.M. Reed.

George W. Finney was elected to the First State Bank board of directors on January 6, 1907, and served five years. He went off of the board for three years, and then was reelected in 1915. This time he served almost eighteen years, resigning in 1932. Finney was born in Pennsylvania in 1864. His father moved the family to Harvey County Kansas in 1878, and then, in 1883 to Larned. Mr. Finney began regular practice of law in 1885, having some duties as a lawyer even before his admission to the bar. He would have been 21 years old at the time.

During his career he served five full terms as County Attorney, was the Larned City Attorney for many years, and was a member of the Board of Education for twenty-four years. Mr. Finney died in 1947 at the age of 83. Mr. & Mrs. Finney (Hattie Wickware) lived at 723 State Street in Larned.

George P. Baxter was also elected a director of First State Bank on January 6, 1907, and served one year. In 1910, he was reelected and served three more years. His wife was Mabel Reed the daughter of J.P. Reed. The Baxters moved to Melrose, New Mexico, in about 1913, where he was quite successful as a banker and rancher. Later they moved to Clovis, New Mexico and retired there.

Henry Ford introduced the Model T in 1908, and Stubbs was nominated for governor of Kansas for the first primary election, and ended up serving two terms. Stubbs was said to be one of Kansas' best governors.

In 1909 the legislature passed a bank guaranty law for the regulation of banks and the protection of the depositors.

Kansas was ranked fourth in salt production and mines by 1909, at Hutchinson, Lyons, and Kanopolis.

William Howard Taft became President in 1909. While in 1910, Theodore Roosevelt spoke at Osawatomie for the dedication of a memorial to John Brown.

In 1911, E.E. Frizell became First State Bank's fifth President and served in that position until 1914.

It was also in 1912, that an adoption of a state constitutional amendment gave Kansas women the right to vote. Kansas was the 8th state to extend full voting privileges to women.

In Kingman County, 1912, a farmer named Clyde Cessna built a monoplane which he named the Comet. For several years Cessna flew at fairs and celebrations but in the next decade he became a prominent manufacturer of aircraft.

In 1912, Governor Hodges was elected to one term to serve the state, while Woodrow Wilson was elected President and was inaugurated in 1913.

WORLD WAR I

World War I, the "War To End All Wars", began in Europe in 1914, and with it brought an increased demand for farm products, especially wheat. Consequently the Kansas Farmers saw a great rise in crop values. Wheat acreage rose from 6 million in 1913, to 9 million in 1914, and market value went up nearly $100,000,000 to $151,000,000.

When the German army crushed Belgium, Kansans quickly volunteered to help the Belgians. Farmers donated wheat, and the milling industry turned it into flour for free shipment to Belgium.

Women's organizations in Kansas worked for the Red Cross and European relief while church groups, civic clubs, and lodges all contributed time, money, and labor to a variety of wartime projects. They made bandages for military hospitals, and gathered clothing for children in France and Belgium, as well as gifts for servicemen. They also helped sell savings bonds.

Kansas bought far more savings bonds than their assigned quotas. They were asked to buy four "Liberty Loans" and one "Victory Loan".

The conservation of food for the war began with a national program of "meatless Tuesdays" and "Wheatless Wednesdays". Early in 1918, Monday was named "Wheatless Day" and Saturday "Porkless". Sugar and cornstarch were on the list to conserve.

In 1915, Arthur Capper was elected Governor of Kansas.

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