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Gerald F. Fitzgerald Suburban Bancorp Records

 Collection
Identifier: Midwest-MS-Fitzgerald 2

Scope and Content of the Collection

Annual reports, histories, prospectuses, annual meeting notifications and other materials produced by the Chicago region’s Suburban Bancorp (1982-1994) and its predecessor Suburban Banking Group (1971-1982), launched by Gerald F. Fitzgerald in 1961. Also materials related to subsidiary Chicago suburban banks that were acquired by Suburban Bancorp, documents relating to the banks during the Depression and World War II period, and materials relating to Suburban Bancorp’s merger with Harris Bankmont, Inc., in 1994.

Dates

  • Creation: 1926-1995

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The Gerald F. Fitzgerald Suburban Bancorp Records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Gerald F. Fitzgerald Suburban Bancorp Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections.

Biography of Gerald F. Fitzgerald and History of Suburban Bancorp, Inc.

Suburban Chicago banker and banking corporation.

Raised in Oak Park, Illinois, and a graduate of Northwestern University, Gerald F. Fitzgerald grew interested in banking through a career in public relations, where he counseled bank clients. He began developing what would become Suburban Bancorp in 1961 with the acquisition of two north suburban banks, the Lake Villa Bank and Palatine National Bank. His built his first “de novo” bank, the Suburban National Bank of Palatine in 1967, the first of a series of such banks, all carrying the Suburban name. In 1971, Fitzgerald created the Suburban Bank Group to provide financial reporting, marketing, and public relations to all of his Suburban banks and continued to acquire other local banks. In 1982, when Illinois state law began to allow multi-bank holding companies, Fitzgerald formed the Suburban Bancorp, merging seven corporations to do so.

In 1990, the offices of corporate chairman and president were separated, with Gerald Fitzgerald Jr. taking over the president’s position and moving the bank in new directions, including decentralization of some of the integrated systems created by his father. By 1994 Suburban Bancorp had grown to a 13-bank, 30-office operation. That same year, the corporation merged with Harris Bankmont, Inc.

Fitzgerald married Marjorie Gosselin Fitzgerald in 1949, and they had four children. He died in 2010 at age 85. He was a trustee and generous donor to the Newberry Library, and supported other institutions including St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly and Northwestern University.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (4 boxes)

Abstract

Annual reports, histories, prospectuses, annual meeting notifications and other materials produced by the Chicago region’s Suburban Bancorp (1982-1994) and its predecessor Suburban Banking Group (1971-1982), launched by Gerald F. Fitzgerald in 1961. Also materials related to subsidiary Chicago suburban banks that were acquired by Suburban Bancorp, documents relating to the banks during the Depression and World War II period, and materials relating to Suburban Bancorp’s merger with Harris Bankmont, Inc., in 1994.

Arrangement

Collection organized with material regarding Suburban Bancorp followed by materials created by subsidiary banks, information about the 1994 merger, and historical materials.

Collection Stack Location

1 39 1

Provenance

Gift, Gerald F. Fitzgerald, Jr., 2017.

Processed by

Martha Briggs, 2017.

Title
Inventory of the Gerald F. Fitzgerald Suburban Bancorp Records, 1926-1995
Status
Completed
Author
Martha Briggs
Date
©2017.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512