Anna Mebus Martin

Anna Martin ( born December 10, 1843 the territory of modern Germany, † July 10, 1925, United States) was a German banker and first President of Bank of America.

Growing up in the Rhineland near Cologne, the daughter of Alwin and Henrietta Mebus emigrated with her mother in 1858 at the age of 15 years via Bremen to the United States to Galveston in Texas and settled in Hedwig 's Hill. Shortly before the left in Solingen father's business had gone bankrupt. They followed the case in 1844 emigrated to America, her mother's brother, the Erndtebrücker Ludwig ( Louis) Martin. Already in the year after her arrival, she married her cousin Karl ( Charles) Martin ( 1828-1879 ), a merchant owner of a small shop. She was mother of two sons, Charles (1861-1940) and Max (1863-1941), who, the year of the death of her husband in 1879 were 16 or 18 years old.

At the time of their arrival in America, only German and French speaking, but not command of English and possessing only about less than $ 150, they had to make do with initially sparse financial resources even after the death of her husband. Of necessity, she took on the role of breadwinner of the family and borrowed for the continuation of her husband operated with fabric, textiles and wool trading business $ 150. In the subsequent period, it achieved, including through the direct purchase of goods upon shepherds and farmers, significant wealth and became one of the wealthiest people on in Mason County. Among her possessions henceforth included lands between Gillespie County and Llano River.

On 1 July 1901 she met then a decision that should let them become a major figure in American history. Instead of the operated until then trade it rose from now on, a bank in the business. She founded with $ 3,000 capital contribution, the Commercial Bank of Mason and created with support from their sons, a financial empire in Texas. Over a period of 24 years she was president of the Commercial Bank of Mason, Texas Mason, and thus became the first bank president in American history.

After her death, she was in Hedwig 's Hill on the local Family Cemetery their final resting place. While the Bank until 1958 remained in family ownership, the family ranch Martins exists today (as of January 2012) or as target of American trippers and holidaymakers alike and is maintained by their descendants, the great-great -great- grandson Homer Martin.

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