Evalyn France
Evalyn Smith Nesbitt Tome France (1855 – April 22, 1927) was the first woman president of a national bank.
Evalyn France | |
|---|---|
| Born | Evalyn Smith Nesbitt 1855 Port Deposit, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 1927 (aged 71–72) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hopewell Cemetery Woodlawn, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Wesleyan Female College Wilmington, Delaware |
| Occupations |
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| Spouses | |
Early life
Evalyn Smith Nesbitt was born in 1855 in Port Deposit, Maryland, to Henry C. Nesbitt, a merchant who owned a general store in Port Deposit and branch stores in Harford County, Maryland.[1][2][3][4] In 1873, she received a degree in English literature from Wesleyan Female College in Wilmington, Delaware.[2]
Career
With her husband Jacob Tome, she co-founded the Tome School in Port Deposit.[2] After it opened in 1894, she served as the president of the board of trustees.[5][4]
She served as president of the Cecil National Bank of Port Deposit from 1898 to 1906 and of the National Bank of Elkton, Maryland, from 1898 to 1906.[1][2]
Personal life
She married Jacob Tome, a millionaire and philanthropist, on October 1, 1884.[6] He died in 1898.[4]
She married Dr. Joseph I. France, a teacher at the Tome School, in June 24, 1903.[1][5][7] After he was elected as a U.S. senator in 1916, she helped form the Ladies of the Senate group, later called the Senate Spouses, in Washington, D.C.; she also entertained First Lady Grace Coolidge.[1][5] Joseph France would run for U.S. president in 1932, after Evalyn France's death.[7]
Death
She died on April 22, 1927, from complications from an operation for a goiter at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.[2] She was interred at Hopewell Cemetery near Woodlawn, Maryland.[8]
References
- Kabelac, Karl Sanford (November–December 2010). E. S. Tome / E. S. France, National Bank President. pp. 456–457. Retrieved April 11, 2021 – via Internet Archive.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - "Operation Fails to Save Life of Mrs. J.I. France". The Evening Sun. Baltimore, MD. April 22, 1927. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- Quesenbery-Sturgill, Erika (August 31, 2013). "The Stores of Two Nesbitts". cecildaily.com. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- "Death of Jacob Tome". The Baltimore Sun. March 17, 1898. p. 7. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Mrs. Evalyn France Dies After Operation (cont.)". Evening Sun. Baltimore, MD. April 22, 1927. Retrieved April 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "A Millionaire Marriage". The Baltimore Sun. October 2, 1884. p. 1. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Ex-Senator France Dies in Maryland". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 27, 1939. p. 30. Retrieved April 10, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Town and County". The Midland Journal. Rising Sun, MD. December 9, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Milestones: May 2, 1927". Time. May 2, 1927. "Died. Mrs. Evalyn Smith Nesbitt Tome France, first woman president of a national bank* wife of onetime (1917-23) Senator from Maryland Dr. Joseph Irwin France; widow of Jacob Tome, and co-founder with him of the Jacob Tome Institute (Port Deposit, Md. —commonly called Tome School); in Baltimore, Md.; following an operation. *She was president of the Cecil National Bank, Port Deposit, Md. (1898-1905) and of the National Bank of Elton, Md. (1898-1904)."