The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-02-05
Paralytic Stroke
Fatal to Man Who
Put Bank on Feet
Continues from cage upe,

CONTINUED from page oueJ
urday at 2 p. m. In the Methodist
Episcopal church, the minister rot
yet being selected. Following the
Cavalier services, the body will be
taken to Hamilton. nine miles distant.
Pallbearers for the Bismarck serv-
ices will be Gilbert semingson. p. E.
Halldorson. Dr.. r. 8. Towne. A. B.
Cox, George Laney. and L. 4. Thomp-
son.
Shafer To Attend
The state will be represented at the
services at Cavalier by Governor
George F. Shafer and Commissioner
of Agriculture and Labor ]. A. Kitch-
en-. members Of the state industrial
commission.
Attorney General James Morris,
third member of the commission, al
SO will attend II he RECEIVERS from an
illness which kept him at home today.
A committee Of bank employees will
represent the Bank of North Dakota
at the services at Cavalier.
Doors Of the bank were closed to-
day in respect to Mr.. Green.
Gained Fame In Bank
G. r. Green rose to prominence in
North Dakota Is q banker and bus
inessman but his principal claim to
fame was his work In recognizing
and reconstructing the Bank Of North
Dakota.
He brought to the Job Of general
manager and director general Of the
state institution a wealth of knowl-
edge gained from practical observa-
ton and experience and applied It to
the banks problems. The result was
to pull 1t out of the difficulties which
beset it when he took office and to
make it a profitable enterprise.
Mr.. Green was born July IL, 1851 on
Prince Edward Island off the coast
of Nova Scotia and he grew to man.
hood there without the advantages of
a formal education. The schools of
the island were inadequate and to
learn to read, write and "figger" was
enough.
In his early youth he took to the
sea. as did everyone else on the island,
and became q fisherman in winter
and a sailor in summer. Often he
made trips down the coast to Boston,
the fisherman's mecca In those days,
and between the ages Of 10 and 81
he served before the mast on coast
ing vessels.
Active As Contractor
Mfr. Green left the sea and came ia
Minnesota in the early '70's and be-
came active in the building business,
constructing numerous grain eleva-
tors In that state. AS the railroads
pushed westward he followed them
into North Dakota, building elevators
as rapidly as the track was laid.
In 1889 he built an elevator at
Hamilton. Pembina county, and then
became elevator manager and grain
buyer for the firm for which he had
worked as an elevator builder.
In 1897 MI. Green left the elevator
to become cashier Of the Bank OF
Hamilton and in 1897 organized and
became president Of the Merchant:
National Bank Of Cavalier. retaining
his interest in the Bank Of Hamilton
He was managing these propertie.
when Governor r. A. Nestos, who hat
been elected In the recall election o.
1921. asked him to take charge of tn,
Bank Of North Dakota. Mr.. Greer
was asked to take this difficult pos
because of the manner in which tn,
two banks in which he was interested
had withstood the strains imposed
upon financial institutions by thu
period which Immediately followed
! the World war.
Made Bank Pay
Taking charge Of the Bank Of
North Dakota in January. 1922, hi
found its reserves so badly depleted
as to make the bank practically in
solvent. Its capital Of $2,000,000 had
been wiped out by the failure of banks
in which the state bank had rede-
posted its funds OF to which 1t had
made loans. Checks drawn against
the Bank of North Dakota were be.
ing registered for payment when II
should get the money and its affair;
were in q chaotic condition.
One of MI. Green's first acts was
to reorganize the farm loan depart.
lnent and to curtail the banks activ.
tiles. Working under the direction Of
the state industrial commission
which had come into office as a re.
suit of the recall election, Mr.. Greer
soon built up reserve sufficient tt
make payment on checks drawn
against the bank and to retire thu
checks and warrants which 1t hat
filed for future payment. In 1925 thu
bank showed an operating profit and
1t continued to show an operating
profit while under his management.
His knowledge of farming condi.
tons In the state made him one o.
the shrewdest agricultural observer,
that the state had known. He applied
this knowledge to the huge farm loar
business which the Bank Of NORTH
Dakota conducts. One of his rule.
brought condemnation upon hin
from many sources but ne stood tx
his guns despite these assaults. Il
was the rule requiring q farmer K
have four COWS or their equivalent II
horses, chickens o. other livestock be.
fore he would be eligible to q loar
from the bank.
Stockman Better Risk
MI. Green explained the rule b,
saying that q man with livestock ha.
q more certain income than one whit
has none and that farmers with live.
stock were less likely to be poor risk
than those who had none. The live.
stock, he said, would keep them work
Ing throughout the year and woul<
make it more difficult for them K
leave their farms In the event Of 3
poor crop year.
Many persons in close touch with
North Dakota affairs give Mr.. Greer
and his livestock rule credit fol
stimulating the diversified farming
movement more than any one othel
thing.
In 1929 Governor George F. shafer
u.hn had hao,, IN close tnslch With TIN