Walter E. Cosgriff

Walter E. Cosgriff (July 4, 1914 – September 1961) was an American banker. He served as the chairman of the Continental Bank and Trust Company and later president of the Bank of Las Vegas. He was the majority shareholder of the Salt Lake Bees, a minority league baseball team in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Walter E. Cosgriff
Born
Walter Everett Cosgriff

July 4, 1914
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedSeptember 1961 (1961-10) (aged 47)
Nevada, U.S.
OccupationBanker
Spouse(s)Lula Enid Barr
Children1 son, 2 daughters

Early life

Walter E. Cosgriff was born on July 4, 1914 in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1][2][3]

His father, James E. Cosgriff, was a native of Burlington, Vermont who moved to Rawlins, Wyoming in 1890 to raise 100,000 sheep.[4] He later started a bank in Rawlins, and acquired the Commercial National Bank of Salt Lake City in 1905.[4] When it merged with the National Bank of the Republic in 1920, it became known as the Continental Bank and Trust Company, of whose Cosgriff was the president until January 1938 and chairman until his death in September 1938.[4][5] The J.E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School in Salt Lake City was named in his honor.

His mother was Mildred Dobson.[4]

Business career

Cosgriff followed in his father's footsteps as a banker.[2] Shortly after his father's death in October 1938, he was appointed as a board member and first vice president of the First National Bank of Rawlins, Wyoming.[6] He later served as the chairman of the Bank and Trust Company.[2] By 1954, he owned banks in "Salt Lake City, Richfield and Bountiful, Utah; Colorado Springs, Meeker and Rifle, Colorado; Boise, Richfield, Whitney, New Plymouth, Caldwell, Wilder, Idaho Falls, Marsing, Homedale and Bruneau, Idaho; Beverly, Kansas; Las Vegas, Nevada; Long Beach, California, and Evanston, Wyoming".[2] It had US$200 million of assets under management.[2]

Cosgriff subsequently served as the president of the Bank of Las Vegas, while Nate Mack served as its chairman.[7]

Cosgriff was appointed to the board of directors of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation by President Harry S. Truman in 1950.[8] He served on the board from October 1950 to May 4, 1951.[2] However, he resigned because of a disagreement with the Comptroller of the Currency, Preston Delano.[2]

Additionally, Cosgriff was the majority shareholder of the Salt Lake Bees, a minority league baseball team in Salt Lake City, Utah.[9][10]

Philanthropy

Cosgriff served on the board of regents of the University of Utah.[1] He also served on the board of trustees of the Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City.[1] Additionally, he served as the vice president of the western section of the Young Presidents' Organization.[1]

Personal life

Cosgriff married Lula Enid Barr on June 7, 1937 in Salt Lake City, Utah.[11] They had a son, Anthony, and two daughters Lyn (who married Harold Isbell), and Trix (who married Rainer Dahl).[11]

Barr was a philanthropist in Salt Lake City, where she co-founded Ballet West and supported Catholic charities; Pope John Paul II made her a Lady of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.[11] Meanwhile, Cosgriff competed in golf championships.[2]

Like his wife, Cosgriff was a Roman Catholic.[9] He was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Alta Club, the University Club of Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Country Club, the Fort Douglas Golf Club and the Ambassador Athletic Club.[1]

Death and legacy

Cosgriff died in a car accident in Nevada in September 1961.[3][9][12] His funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City.[13] Shortly after his death, E. Parry Thomas succeeded Cosgriff as the president of the Bank of Las Vegas.[7]

Cosgriff's widow died in 1997.[11]

The Walter E. Cosgriff Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund for Ballet at the University of Utah was endowed in his donor in 1980.[14]

References
  1. "Car Rollover Claims Walter E. Cosgriff". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 27, 1961. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved February 26, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Moler, Murray M. (August 5, 1954). "Unorthodox Utah Banker Likes to Loan Money". The Daily Herald. Provo, Utah. p. 16. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Funeral Rites Friday for Utah Civic Leader". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Ogden, Utah. September 28, 1961. p. 20. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Death Closes Career of S. L. Banker: James E. Cosgriff Dies At Home Following Illness". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 18, 1938. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Friends Pay Tributes at Cosgriff Rites: Catholic Services Held in Honor Of Bank Director". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 21, 1938. p. 6. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Mr. Cosgriff, who was chairman of the board of directors of the Continental National Bank and Trust company, died Saturday morning at his home, 505 East South Temple Street, after a six weeks' illness.
  6. "S. L. City News Briefs.: Bank Director". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. October 19, 1938. p. 11. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Vegas Bank Fills Post of Cosgriff". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. October 14, 1961. p. 23 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Woods, Randall Bennett (1995). Fulbright: A Biography. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. p. 160. ISBN 9780521482622. OCLC 31707466.
  9. "Walter E. Cosgriff". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City. September 28, 1961. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Cosgriff Death Hurts Baseball". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 28, 1961. p. 33. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "MRS. WALTER E. COSGRIFF ""ENID""". Deseret News. January 10, 1997. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  12. "Rites Friday for Walter E. Cosgriff". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 28, 1961. p. 24. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "S.L. Rites Set Friday for S.L. Banker". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. September 28, 1961. p. 17. Retrieved February 24, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Walter E. Cosgriff Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund for Ballet". The University of Utah.
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