Charlotte Elizabeth Battles
Charlotte Elizabeth Battles | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date |
| Died | December 17, 1952 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Banking executive |
| Known for | Refusal to close her bank during the 1933 banking holiday |
Charlotte Elizabeth Battles (October 11, 1864 – December 17, 1952) was a pioneering American banking executive recognized for her refusal to comply with President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1933 directive to close banks during the banking holiday, by keeping her privately owned bank operational.
Biography
Charlotte Battles was born in 1864 to Rush S. and Charlotte Battles. She completed her education at Mount Vernon Seminary and College in 1886. Following the death of her father in 1904, she assumed the role of bank president, establishing herself as one of the earliest women to hold such a position in the United States. She maintained leadership of the institution until it ceased operations in 1946.
Amid the banking crisis of 1933, President Roosevelt mandated a nationwide bank closure under the Emergency Banking Act. Contrary to this order, Battles chose not to shut down her private bank located in Girard, Pennsylvania, ensuring its continuous operation throughout the mandated banking holiday. She is famously quoted as saying to Roosevelt, "We're minding our business, you mind yours."
Battles remained a resident of Girard until her passing in 1952. Her former residence, which was once dedicated as the Charlotte Elizabeth Battles Memorial Museum, has since been incorporated into the Hagen History Center. In recognition of her contributions, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission placed a historic marker at the site of the former Battles Bank in 2021.