Ransom M. Cook
Ransom McCurdy Cook | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 1986 (aged 86) Near Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Years active | 1921–1980s |
| Known for | President of Wells Fargo Bank (1960–1964) |
Ransom McCurdy Cook (September 23, 1899 – February 14, 1986) was a prominent American banker who led Wells Fargo Bank as its president from 1960 until 1964.
Early life
Cook was born in Portland, Oregon to Edith (née Parker) and Frank Ransom Cook, who hailed from Sandusky, Ohio. He had a younger brother, Donald Cook, recognized for his work on stage and in films. After completing his education at Jefferson High School in 1917, Cook pursued higher studies at Oregon State College, where he joined the Sigma Nu fraternity.
Career
Beginning his banking profession in 1921 with Mercantile Trust Company, Cook advanced to vice president by 1926. When Mercantile Trust merged with American Bank to establish the American Trust Company of San Francisco, he took charge of several branches, including overseeing the Sacramento branch that opened in 1934. By 1951, he had been promoted to senior vice president and ascended to the presidency in 1959.
Following the 1960 merger between American Trust and Wells Fargo Bank, which resulted in Wells Fargo Bank American Trust Company, Cook was named president. During his tenure, the institution restored its original Wells Fargo name two years later. In 1964, he assumed the roles of chairman and CEO while H. Stephen Chase succeeded him as president. Chase then succeeded him as chairman in 1966; however, Cook continued as chairman of the executive committee and led Wells Fargo Bank International Corporation as president. He stepped down from the executive committee chairmanship at the end of 1967 but maintained his positions on the board and as international division chairman.
Cook also played significant roles within banking organizations: he served as president of the California Bankers Association from 1958 to 1959 and led the Association of Reserve City Banks between 1961 and 1962. Additionally, he contributed as an advisory board member for both the Export-Import Bank and the Federal Reserve Board. On an international level, he chaired Western American Bank Ltd. in London from 1968 to 1970 and was a director of Euro Finance based in Paris.
Outside of banking, Cook held board memberships with several corporations such as Cutter Laboratories starting in 1956, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Littleton Industries, Farinon Electric Corporation, and Industrial Indemnity Company.
Personal life
Cook's marital history includes two unions. His first marriage was to Dorothy Edith Cook (1901–1991). In 1945, he wed Margaret (née Scheld) Wiggin, a descendant of an established California family who received education at Miss Ransom School in Piedmont and further studies in the East. Margaret was previously married to Philip A. Wiggin and was the daughter of Adolph P. Scheld and Leila Carroll. The couple resided at 2519 Broadway in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood within a residence built in 1937 by modernist architect Gardner Dailey. Their son, Ransom Stephen Cook (born 1933), graduated from Stanford University followed by Stanford Law School and pursued a legal career based in San Francisco.
Cook belonged to exclusive social clubs including the Pacific-Union Club and the Bohemian Club. He also chaired boards for Presbyterian Hospital and San Francisco’s Fine Arts Museums, with a particular passion for Asian art.
He passed away on February 14, 1986, at his ranch near Santa Rosa, California. A memorial service took place at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.
External links
- Image of Ransom Cook (1960) captured by Slim Aarons