BANK OF MULLEN

by Bank of Mullen

Entry B22 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Bank of Mullen Early 1940's

Late in 1935 a group of local business men
and townspeople approached C.J. Abbott
and LeRoy Abbott about the need for a bank
in Mullen. They applied for and received
Charter No. 1635 from the State Banking
Department. The Bank of Mullen opened for
business January 2, 1936 offering complete
banking service. Authorized and paid in
capital was $25,000.00. Bank quarters were in
the small brick building located on the
southeast corner of the main intersection of
the town where a small cooperative credit
association was in business. This business
was assumed by the bank. The small quarters
were soon outgrown. In 1938 a larger brick
building was built in the center of the block
on the north side of main street.

The original Board of Directors were C.J.
Abbott, LeRoy Abbott, R.C. Franke, Mac
Osborne, J.H. Kime and Don E. Hanna. None
are living today. This board elected the
following officers: C.J. Abbott, President;
LeRoy Abbott, Vice-President; Don E. Han-
na, Vice-President; and John W. Sloss,
Cashier. John W. Sloss resigned March 10,
1936 and the directors elected LeRoy Abbott,
Vice-President and Cashier with W.H. Bram-
er, Assistant Cashier. W.H. Bramer was
elected Cashier at the first semi-annual
meeting July 8, 1936. Soon after Sloss
resigned Sarah T. Bramer joined the bank
staff as bookkeeper-teller and was with the
bank until here retirement December 31,
1968. She was elected Assistant Cashier
January 25, 1967. Soon after the bank opened
Elmo Gardiner was transferred from the
Guardian State Bank and when Abbotts
opened the Bank of Woodlake in October,
1938, he moved there. There were no changes
in officers or directors until January 4, 1954,
when W.H. Bramer was elected to the Board
of Directors. January 8, 1951, R.C. Franke
was omitted as director and LeRoy Abbott
became Executive Vice-President.

C.J. Abbott died in a plane crash in
Louisiana January 10, 1954. At their meeting
January 18, 1954 the stockholders elected
directors as follows: LeRoy Abbott, Mac
Osborne, J.H. Kime, Don E. Hanna and W.H.
Bramer. Officers elected were: LeRoy
Abbott, President; Don E. Hanna, Vice-
President; W.H. Bramer, Vice-President and
Cashier; Daniel C. Diebler, Jr., who had
joined the bank staff in 1953, Assistant
Cashier. Deibler was elected cashier at the
January meeting in 1959. W.D. Stroud was
elected director July 7, 1952.