MURTAGH, E. J.

MURTAGH, BLOSSOM, MCDONALD

Posted By: Jean Kramer (email)
Date: 12/9/2003 at 15:37:21

Biography reproduced from page 620 of Volume II of the History of Kossuth County written by Benjamin F. Reed and published in 1913:

The name of E. J. Murtagh, president of the County Savings Bank of Algona, has for more than a decade been prominently identified with local financial circles, as he has organized and promoted several thriving banking institutions in Kossuth county, with which he is still officially connected. He has also invested extensively in real estate and now holds the title to more than two thousand acres of farm land in this county in addition to his town property and valuable realty interests located elsewhere.

Mr. Murtagh was born in Waverly, Iowa, on the 19th of January, 1868, and is a son of J. and Mercy L. (Blossom) Murtagh. Three sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Murtagh, of whom our subject is the eldest. The next in order of birth, J. C., is an attorney at Waterloo, Iowa, while the youngest, C. B., who was formerly a member of the state legislature from Emmet county, is cashier of the County Savings Bank of Algona.

E. J. Murtagh is in every sense of the word a self-made man, as he started out to make his own living when the majority of lads are still in school. His educational advantages were limited to the public schools of Waverly which he attended until he was a youth of fifteen years. He then laid aside his text-books and leaving home came to Algona and took a position as bookkeeper in a creamery. Six years later, he resigned this position and subsequently, in 1892, he went to Burt, Iowa, where he organized the first bank. He was cashier of this institution for five years, and the returned to Algona to become associated in business with Gardner Cowles. They were in partnership for nine years and during that time dealt and invested extensively in local real estate and were also engaged in banking. In 1904, Mr. Murtagh was elected president of the County Savings Bank, and two years later, in 1906, he severed his connections with Mr. Cowles and has ever since devoted his attention to the business affairs of the bank. He is a man of more than average perspicacity and business acumen, as is evidenced by his rapid progress and the success that has attended his efforts, and is ranked as one of the best organizers and promoters in financial circles in this part of the state. Mr. Murtagh is also president of the Burt National Bank, of Burt, Iowa; Lone Rock Bank, of Lone Rock; Farmers Savings Bank, of Fenton; and First National Bank, of Swea City; while he is vice president of the Fenton State Bank, of Fenton; and Farmers & Drovers State Bank, of Germania, Iowa. He is also a stockholder and director of various other banks in this section of the state and is a stockholder and director of the Spurbeck-Lambert Manufacturing Company of this city.

In 1897, Mr. Murtagh was united in marriage to Miss Marie McDonald of Burt, and they have one child, Eugene, who is ten years of age.

Mr. Murtagh is a democrat in his political views, and was a delegate to the democratic national convention at Kansas City in 1900, and also a delegate to the Baltimore convention in 1912. Despite the heavy demands made upon his time by his extensive personal interests, Mr. Murtagh always finds opportunity to cooperate in forwarding the various public movements inaugurated in the community, and has for fifteen years been one of the trustees of the public library. He has high standards of citizenship and manifests the same spirit of progress and enterprise in municipal affairs that characterizes his business undertakings, and is one of the leaders in every advance movement. Mr. Murtagh is highly esteemed in the community, where his success is attributed to his fine powers of organization, executive ability and the determination of purpose that refuses to recognize defeat.

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