Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-10
HONOR IS PLANNED
FOR COL. HARPER
Business Men Will Give Ban
quet to Originator of
Auditorium Here.

AS a tribute to his civic enterprise
and efforts for the betterment of
Washington, representative business
men of the city will tender a testi-
monial banquet to Robert n. Harper.
president of the District NatioDal
Bank.
The dinner will take place at the
New Willard Hotel, July /, and invita-
lions have been sent to members of
the Washington Chamber of Com
merce, the Washington Board of
Trade and the Merchants and Manu-
facturers' Association.
Invitations also have been extend
ed to President Coolidge, Vice Presi-
dent Dawes, the members of the cab
met, Chief Justice Taft, Chief Justice
of the District Supreme Court Nc
Coy, the District Commissioners, the
Governor of Virginia and his aide, the
Governor of Maryland and his aide,
the chairmen of the House and Sen
ate District committees, and other
distinguished men in public life. In
vitations have been limited to 500,
as the event will take place on the
roof garden of the hotel.
Is Father of Auditorium
The tribute to Mr.. Harper has been
arranged by his personal friends and
business associates in the various
trade organizations as a mark of
esteem and in appreciation of his civic
activities, and particularly his success
full efforts to establish a large audi
forum in the National Capital.
Mr.. Harper, who is a native of
Leesburg, Va, has long been identi-
fled with the progress of the city. He
was president of the local Business
Mems Association. and when that
body became the Washington Cham
Der of Comerce he was it's first
president. He has been president of
the Chamber of Commerce four times,
is now chairman of it's committee on
fiscal relations and it's national coun-
selor to the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States.
While active in the chamber Mr.
Harper was impressed with the ne
cessity of large auditorium in order
to make Washington an attractive
center for conventions. After many
years of unceasing effort he finally
saw the Washington Auditorium, a
$1,O00,000 enterprise, supported by
many of the leading business men
of the city, completed.
Mr.. Harper has been an outstanding
figure in the local Democratic party.
He was chairman of the Wilson in
auguration committee in 1913 and in
1917, and is a member of the Demo
cratic national committee.
Always interested in financial mat
tiers, although a graduate of the Phil
adelphia College of Pharmacy and
surgeon general with the rank of col
onel on the staff of Gov. Montague of
Virginia, Mr.. Harper organized the
American National Bank, of which he
was president and later organized the
District National Bank, of which he
is now president.
Active i'm Civic Work.
AS president of the Chamber of
Commerce, a member of the Board of
Trade and the Merchants and Manu-
facturers Association Mr.. Harper has
been particularly active in local civic
matters. particularly in reference to
the fiscal relations problem and the
advocacy of national representation.
He was chairman of the home coming
reception to Gen. Pershing in 1919,
chairman on the committee on honor
medals to the District soldiers in the
World War, and was active in the Lib
erty bond campaign during the war
He is also past president of the Dis
trict of Columbia Bankers Association
and chairman of the special committee
of so to raise funds for the Masonic
Temple to be built on Temple Heights
Mr.. Harper is a member of and has
been actively identified with many
other local organizations
The Col. Robert N. Harper testi
monial committee that has charge Of
the affair comprises Arthur c. Moses,
chairman: Ross p. Andrews, Charles