well maybe it was NPR.
Thanks al bupp I'll listen to it now. :hi:
1836
William Wilson Corcoran opens a note brokerage house---an early form of bank.
1837
Businessmen from New York and abroad, including former neighbor Elisha Riggs, shield the Corcoran brokerage house from collapse during the economic panic.
1840
Corcoran and George Washington Riggs, Elisha's son, form Corcoran Riggs, a partnership that offers depository and checking services.
1842
States-rights Democrat John Tyler is the first President of the United States to bank at Corcoran & Riggs.
1844
The U.S. government selects Corcoran & Riggs as the sole federal depository in Washington.
1845
Corcoran & Riggs finances the invention of the telegraph by Samuel Morse.
Corcoran & Riggs purchases the buildings and assets of the Washington branch of the defunct Second Bank of the United States, located across the street from the Treasury.
Corcoran & Riggs invests heavily in railroads and land, contributing to the nations push westward.
1847
Corcoran & Riggs lends $16 million to the U.S. government for the Mexican War and subsequently covers the loan by selling bonds to London financial houses. As the first sale of American securities in Europe since 1837, this transaction bolsters the credit of all American bankers.
1850
Senators Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and Daniel Webster bank at Riggs.
1853
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opens Corcoran & Riggs accounts for construction of the Washington Aqueduct and the extension of the Capitol.
1854
Corcoran retires to devote his life to private investments and charitable causes; George Washington Riggs takes over the bank under its new name, Riggs & Co.
1861
Abraham Lincoln opens an account at Riggs shortly before Civil War hostilities begin, only weeks after Confederate President Jefferson Davis closes his account.
1865
Instead of accepting a charter under the new national bank act, Riggs & Co. remains a private bank. This decision accounts for the bank's stability in the aftermath of the Civil War.
1868
Upon the request of Secretary of State Seward, Riggs & Co. supplies $7.2 million in gold bullion to the U.S. government to purchase Alaska from Russia.
1873
Financial panic throws banking houses across the nation into confusion, yet Riggs deposits double within the next three years.
1881
Following the death of George Washington Riggs, Charles Carroll Glover becomes the dominant force in the bank.
1896
Riggs & Co. accepts a national banking charter. The Riggs National Bank elects its first board, sells stock, and shifts its focus from specialized investment services to general banking services for a large clientele.
Glover becomes the first president of the bank.
1900
Lawrason Riggs, the last member of the family associated with the bank, retires from the board of directors.
With deposits of more than $5 million, Riggs is twice as large as any other bank in the District of Columbia. Riggs issues stock to National City Bank, the largest New York bank, to forge a profitable alliance.
http://www.riggsbank.com/Discover_Riggs/timeline.html