T. P. LaRue

T. P. LaRUE, president of the First National Bank of Columbus, and one of the leading capitalists of Cherokee County, was born in 1844 in Morrow Country, Ohio, and is a son of Aaron LaRue.

The LaRue family is of French extraction and the American branch was instituted by Huguenot refugees who became prominent in the State of Virginia and, later, in Ohio. Aaron LaRue was born in Virginia in 1800, and died in Iowa in 1885. He took his family to Iowa in 1856, and settled on a farm in the vicinity of Vinton, in Benton County.

T. P. LaRue was reared on his father's farm in Iowa. He possessed the business capacity which led him to invest his small capital to the best advantage, and to turn it over until he had secured enough to establish himself in a private banking business. This he accomplished in 1877 with means he had earned himself, for Mr. LaRue is an example of a self-made man. He continued in the private banking business at Scranton, Iowa, until 1886, when he moved to Cherokee County, Kansas, subsequently purchasing the Columbus Bank, a private institution, of which Jarvis, Conklin & Company, were the owners. This bank which was founded in 1882 by Dwight & Schott, had been disposed of to Jarvis, Conklin & Company, and was sold to Mr. LaRue in the fall of 1887.

In 1902 the institution became the First National Bank of Columbus, which is capitalized at $50,000, and has about $5,000 in undivided profits. Mr, LaRue is now in active charge of the bank as its president, and the other officers are,—Isaac Wright, vice-president; H. A. LaRue, cashier; and A. M. Albin, assistant cashier. The success of the institution has been assured ever since Mr. LaRue took charge, and the business has continued to expand until now it is rated, not only as one of the safest, but also as one of the most important financial concerns of the State.

When Mr. LaRue came to Cherokee County, he brought considerable capital with him, which, under his good management, has many times increased. He owns between 4,000 and 5,000 acres of land in Cherokee County and is the largest tax payer. He also hes property located in other states, and owns stock in several other banks. His farming land he rents, devoting the greater part of hes time to the management of his numerous investments.

Mr. LaRue married Elizabeth Hutton, who was born in Ohio, and taken to Iowa when a child by her parents. Six children were born to them, four in Iowa, and two (twins) in Kansas. Mrs LaRue and the younger children are enjoying the comforts of the beautiful winter home at Los Angeles, California.

During the Civil War, Mr. LaRue served for 18 months as a non- commissioned officer in Company G, 2nd Reg., Iowa Vol. Inf., and saw active service during his time, but returned uninjured. Politically, he has always been a strong supporter of the Republican party, but has never accepted preferment of any kind. Fraternally, he is a Royal Arch Mason, and belongs also to the Grand Army of the Republic. In religious views, he favors Catholic institutions.

Without doubt, Mr. LaRue is one of the most widely known men in business and financial circles in this section of Kansas, and he fills a prominent position as the president of oldest banking institution in Cherokee County.

Transcribed from History of Cherokee Kansas and its representative ctizens, ed. & comp. by Nathaniel Thompson Allison, 1904, by Kyle Hamilton, student from USD 508, Baxter Springs Middle School, Baxter Springs, Kansas, 1-13-97.