Smith and Scammon: Early Chicago Bankers

All things considered George Smith and J. Young Scammon were the two outstanding bankers in Chicago history from 1836, when the city's first bank (a branch of the State Bank) was opened, to the turn of the century. Both men became actively identified with the life of the pioneer community in their twenties. One was a Scottish banker of extraordinary ability, the other was a public-spirited lawyer with strong leanings toward banking throughout his life. One saw in legal restraints on banking only unfortunate restrictions to a successful banker, the other strove for laws to prescribe bank practice.