20676. Bank of East Tennessee (Knoxville, TN)

Bank Information

Episode Type
Run Only
Bank Type
state
Start Date
April 1, 1853
Location
Knoxville, Tennessee (35.961, -83.921)

Metadata

Model
gpt-5-mini
Short Digest
2c842962

Response Measures

Accommodated withdrawals, Public signal of financial health, Capital injected

Description

April 1853 heavy run described across multiple papers. Bank redeemed every dollar presented and stayed open; directors and citizens subscribed capital. Causes mentioned include circulating rumors about solvency and the failure of Mr. Chittenden (large stockholder) — classified here as bank-specific adverse information with rumors noted.

Events (1)

1. April 1, 1853 Run
Cause
Bank Specific Adverse Info
Cause Details
A run was sparked by circulating rumors about the bank's solvency and publicity of the failure of Mr. Chittenden, a major stockholder, leaving the bank in a precarious condition.
Measures
Bank paid/redeemed every dollar presented in gold and silver; directors issued public statement guaranteeing payment; local businessmen subscribed for additional stock to bolster the bank.
Newspaper Excerpt
that the Bank had promptly redeemed every dollar presented... it will be obliged to suspend under the run that is being made upon its vaults.
Source
newspapers

Newspaper Articles (9)

Article from The Athens Post, April 1, 1853

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Article Text

BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE.--A rumor affecting the solveney of this institution reached here last Friday. There were but few bills in circulation in this section, and the announcement that the Bank was in danger produced but little sensation. We are informed by a gentleman of Knoxville, who left there on Tuesday, and upon whose statement we can rely, that the Bank had promptly redeemed every dollar presented, up to 12 o'clock that day, the time at which he left.It is thought however that it will be obliged to suspend under the run that is being made upon its vaults.


Article from Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, April 6, 1853

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BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE.-The Knoxville Register, of the 26th, states that a run had been made upon this Bank, and that thus far she has redeemed her notes in gold and silver; but how long it will continue to do so the editors of the Register cannot say. The failure of Mr. Chittenden, the owner of the greater portion of the stock, has left the Bank in a very percarious condition. It is asserted that the Bank will meet every dollar of its liabilities, as long as it has any means.


Article from Wisconsin Tribune, April 14, 1853

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Article Text

# BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE. The Knoxville Register, of the 26th, states that a run has been made upon this Bank, and that thus far she has redeemed her notes in gold and silver: but how long it will continue to do so the editors of the Register cannot say. The failure of Mr. Chittenden, the owner of the greater portion of the stock, has left the Bank in a very precarious condition. It is asserted that the Bank will meet every dollar of its indebtedness as long as it has any means.


Article from The Athens Post, April 22, 1853

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Article Text

BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE. Our readers are aware that rumors affecting the standing and credit of the Bank of East Tennessee, have been in circulation for several weeks, and that a heavy run was be. ing made upon its vaults. The impression was almost general that it would be obliged to suspend. We are gratified to learn that the result has proved otherwise. From the following statement, which we find in the Knoxville Register of the 20th, it will be seen that the Bank has not only sustained it. self up to this time, but is prepared to meet every dollar of its liabilities: ) BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE, Knoxville, April 19, 1853. For the protection of the note-holders of this Bank, we deem it our duty to state, that every dollar presented has been promptly paid: and further, that the Bank is prepared to meet every dollar of her liabilities, in whatsoever shape they may come. J. W. J. NILES, Pres't. Hu. L. McCLUNG, Cashier. M. D. BEARDEN, Directors. Jos. L. KING, CHAS. J. McCLUNG, C. M. McGHEE, I have been with the officers of the Bank as their legal adviser, almost constantly, during the run upon it, and I am well informed of its affairs, and know the foregoing stateWM. H. SNEED. ment to be true. Knoxville, April 19, 1853.


Article from Loudon Free Press, April 29, 1853

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BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE. A meeting of the principal business men of Knoxville, was held on Thursday evening of last week, over which Mr. P. Dickinson, of the firm of Cowan & Dickinson, presided, which unanimously adopted the following resolution offered by Mr. Mathew Nelson, which we find in the Knoxville papers. Resolved, That having with pleasure seen an announcement in the city papers from the Directors of the Bank of East Tennessee, that notwithstanding a continued run upon the institution for the past five weeks, the Bank has paid every dollar presented, and is ready to pay the last dollar of her liabilities in whatever shape it may come, we feel, as citizens of the place, bound to state to the public that we have entire confidence in the integrity of the board, and in any statement they may make, and that from the known ability and integrity of those owning a majority of the stock, residents among us, we will without hesitation, take the notes of the Bank and circulate them as other currency.


Article from Loudon Free Press, April 29, 1853

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# BANK OF EAST TENNESSEE. We are pleased to learn that within a few days a number of our best citizens have taken a large amount of stock in the Bank of East Tennessee; and we feel well assured that the sock will all be taken by our own citizens, and the bank placed upon a basis even more secure than that which has enabled it to pass through the late heavy run that was made upon its vaults. We also learn with pleasure that the branch of the Union Bank at this place receives issues af the Bank East Tennesse on deposite or in payment of debts. Its notes are as good as those of any bank in the state, and there need be no apprehension whatever in taking them. Knoxville Register, April 27.


Article from The Yazoo City Weekly Whig, May 27, 1853

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EAST TENNESSEE BANK-The Knoxvlle Whig says that the Bank of East Tennessee will be sustained. A-number of gentlemen of large means have gone into the institution, taken and are determinen to support it It is now, says that paper, on a safer footing than it has ever been heretofore. The gallant manner in which the Bank has sustained itself under the heavy run made upon its vaults, will only serve to give it additional strength at home and abroad, and prevent in the future, as a natural consequence, a similar panic, The Whig offers a premium of ten per cent for debts due that office.


Article from Loudon Free Press, May 2, 1854

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Article Text

We have received Monroe's Southern Banker and Commercial Reporter, in which the Bank of East Tennessee at Knoxville, is quoted as "broke." This will certainly be news to the people of Tennessee, and should be corrected. The error may have occurred from the fact that a very heavy run was made upon the Bank some twelve months since. But the Bank nobly redeemed every dollar presented, and fully sustained her credit, and her issues to day are considered as good as other Banks in Tennessee.


Article from The Weekly Herald, February 14, 1878

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From the Kxonville Chroniele. A meeting of the friends of greenbacks has been called at Nashville on the 18th of this month, We do not understand just what is proposed by the friends of this movement. We learn that it is proposed to run a candidate for Governor in this State next summer. But the "greenbacks" feature of the movement is not 80 clear. If they want greenbacks kept up to their present standard of value or made equal to gold, that isif they want good greenbacks, we are with them. Our present currency is the best we have ever had. It has now, or soon will have, a permanent, fixed value. It is uniform in all parts of the country. In former days, within the recollection of many of our readers, we had State banks and local banks, with circulating notes, current only in certain localities. A man might start to travel over the country with a pocket full of money, but he would have to change his currency every time he crossed a State line. Ever and anon these banks were breaking and whoever had these issues when they broke lost them. We had a notable example here in Knoxville in the case of the bank of East Tennessee, which failed about twenty-five years ago, It was just after the farmers in this section had disposed of their wheat receiving for It the issue of the Bank of East Tennessee, all of which was to them a clear loss. There are doubtless farmers who read the Chronicle who have some of these issues on hand yet, worth no more than any other waste paper. Now, we prefer greenbanks or National Bank notes to such a currency as that. If a National bank fails, as many of them have, their circulation remains good and the note-holders lose nothing, because the Government has made them secure their issues before allowing them to circulate. We want greenbacks, and "plenty of them;" but we want them issued so they will have a fixed value. We want the dollar of the poor man to be equal in value with the dollar of the Wall Street millionaire. If the dollar has not a fixed value, there will be combination of rings of speculators who have plenty of money, and who can raise or depreciate the value of currency at pleasure, for their own selfish ends. They can make it ninety cents one day, or ninety-five another, or par another, as it suits them, just as the rings have treated the Tennessee bonds. Who is profited by this gambling? Not the poor man, because he does not gamble in the Stock Exchange. He has no money to speculate upon, if he would. But the rich stock gambler has plenty of money, and gambling is his business. We do not want a currency made for