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A. W. PATTERSON
Vol. 3, p. 1047

A.W. PATTERSON is president of the Muskogee National Bank of
Muskogee, Oklahoma. He has always been successful in a business way
and regarded as safe and sane in his judgment on all matters of
finance and investment. He was born in Ohio, July 22, 1845, and later
went to Wisconsin, from which state he removed to Iowa while yet very
young. He did not have many opportunities for extended education, but
was able to gather enough in the common schools of his time to enable
him to teach others, but not enjoying the life of a school teacher he
entered actively into business. He started out in the hardware and
farm implement game at Gilman, Iowa, and was regarded as one of the
best salesmen in that part of the country. He has always been
extremely vigorous and energetic and with excellent health and
wonderful vitality has been able to accomplish a great deal in life.
Thinking that the retail hardware business was too small a sphere for
his activities, he branched out into the manufacture of barb wire at
Marshalltown, Iowa, being one of the early manufacturers of this
useful commodity. He foresaw at that time the wonderful use and the
great possibilities for wire fencing, but later on disposed of this
business and went to Carroll County, Iowa, and began his banking
career. Northwestern Iowa was then very new and the opportunities
were splendid for making money in the banking business and buying
land and through the combination of banking and operating in land he
accumulated a great deal of money.

Thoroughly enjoying business life and appreciating the advantages
and opportunities among the pioneers he was glad to come to Indian
Territory before it became the State of Oklahoma and began early to
watch the development of the new state.

He and A. C. TRUMBO established the Bank of Muskogee in 1902 and
built the Iowa Building. This building is now owned by the successor
of the Bank of Muskogee, the Muskogee National Bank, one of the most
substantial financial institutions in Oklahoma. One of the leading
bankers of Omaha, who has known Mr. Patterson all his life, recently
said of him, "During my entire experience as a banker I have never
known a more safe and conservative man than A. W. Patterson."

Mr. Patterson has always been distinguished as a man of integrity,
diligence, determination and superior business judgment. Although a
democrat, he has never been a strong partisan and has always been
willing to size up candidates for office more from the standpoint of
fitness than politics.

The Patterson home on West Okmulgee Avenue is a handsome stone
structure and indicative of taste and prosperity.

Typed for OKGenWeb by: Dorothy Marie Tenaza, December 10, 1998.