Walter C. Schumacher

WALTER C. SCHUMACHER, president of the Citizens State Bank of Claflin, has been a Kansan for ten years, and prior to coming to this state was engaged in the grain business in Illinois.

Mr. Schumacher was born in Marshall County, at Wenona, Illinois, June 10, 1886. His father, Ernest Schumacher, was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, son of George C. Schumacher, who brought his family to the United States when Ernest was a child. Ernest Schumacher grew up on an Illinois farm, and became identified with the agricultural interests in Marshall County, where he died March 13, 1906, at the age of fifty-two. He married in Marshall County Alvina Janke, who is still living in Marshall County. Her parents were German people. Ernest Schumacher and wife had six sons and a daughter. Walter was the first of three brothers to come to Kansas, the others being George, of Lyons, and Henry A., of Kanapolis.

Walter C. Schumacher had his father's farm as his early environment, with the rural schools furnishing him his early training. He also attended the Northern Illinois Normal School at Dixon and finally the Illinois State University. He left college when about seventeen years of age to begin a business career, and his first connection was with the grain business at Wenona. He spent five years as manager with J. H. Taggart and Sons, and had charge of their line of elevators in Illinois.

Mr. Schumacher gave up his promising connection with the grain trade to come to Kansas and enter banking. He arrived at Claflin February 1, 1909, and entered the service of the Citizens State Bank, which had been established in 1908, with a capital of $10,000 and with Henry Cully as president and O. L. Cully as cashier. Mr. Schumacher was promoted from bookkeeper to cashier, and since 1916 has been president of the institution. When he first became connected with the bank its total resources aggregated about $68,000, while today they total $430,000, and the hank has a capital of $15,000 and a surplus of similar amount.

His work as a banker has not been Mr. Schumacher's only contribution to the welfare of Claflin. He served as a member of the board of education, and on the town council for three terms, at a time when the chief duty of the local government was in driving out "bootleggers." During the war Mr. Schumacher was chosen to the important responsibilities of chairman of the Barton County Council of Defense. That put him as supervising head of all the war activities of forty-two committees. His bank won the distinction of making the best record, through its depositors, on the Fourth Liberty Loan of any bank in the county. While Mr. Schumacher has not had much time to give to the practical work of fraternal organization, he is a member of the Masonic Order, the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Elks. He and his wife are Methodists. They have built one of the modern homes of Claflin.

June 22, 1909, in Marshall County, Illinois, Mr. Schumacher married Miss Leola Barnes, member of an old family long identified with the agricultural interests of Marshall County. Mrs. Schumacher had a good high school education, and taught school in Marshall County and later in Northwestern Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Schumacher have three children: Kenneth, Walter B. and Billy.

Pages 2436-2437.