Multnomah-Statewide County OR Archives Biographies.....Clark, Elmer A. 1877 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com August 24, 2010, 2:10 am Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 510 - 513 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company ELMER A. CLARK, president of the Citizens Bank, at Grand avenue and East Alder street, Portland, has had extensive banking experience and has been active in the affairs of the Citizens Bank for the past ten years. Sound and reliable in his judgment and courteous and accommodating in his relations with the patrons of the institution, he is well liked by all who have come in contact with him and is regarded as particularly well qualified for the position which he holds. The Citizens Bank was established in 1890 by A. W. Lambert, who became its first cashier, Joseph Paquet, its first vice president, Cyrus Buckman and others, and was located at the southeast corner of East Washington and University avenue. Its original capital stock was twenty-five thousand dollars. The presidents, in order of succession, have been, J. H. Lambert, A. W. Lambert, N. U. Carpenter and Elmer A. Clark; cashiers, A. W. Lambert, D. C. Southworth, Mr. Fulton and E. A. Clark (no successor has yet been elected to Mr. Clark as cashier). The present splendid building, at the corner of Grand avenue and East Alder street, was erected in 1916 and has a frontage of over one hundred feet, of which structure the bank occupies fifty by ninety feet, the remainder of the space being rented. The bank is now controlled by the West Coast Bancorporation and employs forty-one people. It has a paid-in capital of two hundred thousand dollars, surplus and profits of over one hundred and ten thousand dollars and total resources in excess of five million dollars. The present official roster of the bank is as follows: E. A. Clark, president; A. A. Binford, Ralph B. Lloyd and George W. Weatherly, vice presidents; Will H. Bennett, H. Ambler and J. R. Young„ assistant cashiers; directors, E. A. Clark, A. A. Binford, Ralph B. Lloyd, George W. Weatherly, George W. Burt, C. W. Norton and A. W. Lambert. Elmer A. Clark was born in northern Nebraska in 1877, and is a son of J. L. and Ruth N. (Beckwith) Clark. The father fought in the Union army throughout the Civil war and after the close of that conflict moved to Nebraska, where he took up a homestead. They were pioneers of that locality, which at that time was infested by Indians and rattlesnakes, but the father created a good farm and lived there until 1893, when he retired and moved to Corvallis, Oregon. Elmer A. Clark received his educational training in the public schools of Nebraska and Corvallis, and was first regularly employed in the First National Bank of Corvallis, with which he was connected about four years. His next position was with the First National Bank of Baker City, where he remained one year, and in 1901 he organized the First Bank of Vale, with which he was identified until 1906. He was then made cashier of the Caldwell Commercial Bank, at Caldwell, Idaho, which position he held for four years, when he went to Salt Lake City and entered the claims and taxes department of the Utah Power and Light Company, remaining with that corporation until 1917, when he returned to the First National Bank of Corvallis. In May, 1918, he came to the Citizens Bank as teller, and later in that year was made cashier, which position he filled until 1924, when he also became a vice president. He held that dual relation until July 1, 1928, when he was elected president. In 1901, at Baker, Oregon, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Leila Privett, who was born in Stayton, Marion county, Oregon, and is a daughter of W. R. and Mary (Shelton) Privett, the former now deceased, while the latter resides in Portland. Mr. Privett was one of the first graduates of the Oregon Agricultural College and was identified with educational affairs for many years. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have four children, as follows: Warren, who is district manager for the General Motors Acceptance Corporation at Walla Walla, Washington; Louise and Myrtle, who are students in the University of Oregon; and Elaine. Mr. Clark is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Woodmen of the World, in which he has filled all the chairs, the East Side Commercial Club, the Chamber of Commerce and the Laurelhurst Country Club. He has shown a deep and effective interest in his fellowmen, stands consistently for the best things in the life of the community and is regarded as one of its dependable citizens, well worthy of public confidence and respect. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/clark1231gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb