Corcoran and Riggs partnership documents
Collection Scope and Content
The collection consists of two documents related to the history of Corcoran and Riggs a predecessor of Riggs Bank. These documents include an April 14, 1840 memorandum of co-partnership between William Corcoran and George W. Riggs. The letter, which does not have a recipient, is dated June 16, 1848 is dissolution of the firm of Corcoran and Riggs as run by William Corcoran and George W. Riggs and the creation of firm Corcoran and Riggs run by William W. Corcoran and Elisha Riggs Jr.
Page Riggs Bradley and Murray Lee Bradley donated these items in 2007.
Dates
- Creation: 1840-1848
Restrictions on Access
Some records may be restricted.
Restrictions on Use
Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.
Historical or Biographical Note
The earliest incarnation of Riggs Bank was formed in 1836 when William Wilson Corcoran opened a small brokerage house. In 1840, Corcoran and George Washington Riggs, the son of a neighbor, formed "Corcoran and Riggs", which offered checking and depositing services. The bank got a major boost in 1844, when The U.S. government assigned Corcoran and Riggs to be the only federal depository in Washington. In 1854 Corcoran retired, and the bank changed its name to "Riggs & Co." After accepting a government charter, "Riggs National Bank" was born in 1896. By 1900, Riggs was twice as large as any other bank in D.C. It embarked on a successful project to become known as the bank of embassies and diplomats, and by 1950 most embassies in Washington were customers. Many branches thereafter opened within embassies in Washington D.C. and London. Riggs Bank was bought by PNC for $779 million in 2005.
Extent
0.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection consists of two documents related to the history of Corcoran and Riggs a predecessor of Riggs Bank. These documents are dated from 1840-48.
Acquisition Information
These items were donated by Page Riggs Bradley and Murray Lee Bradley in 2007.
Subject
- Corcoran & Riggs (Organization)
- Riggs, Elisha (Person)
- Riggs, George Washington (Person)
- Riggs and Co. (Organization)
- Corcoran, W. W. (William Wilson) (Person)
Source
- Bradley, Page Riggs (Donor, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Corcoran and Riggs partnership documents, 1840-1848
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University
- Date
- 2007
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center, The George Washington University Repository
George Washington University Gelman Library
2130 H Street NW
Washington DC 20052 United States of America
speccoll@gwu.edu
