Planners Financial Services (a NASD member Securities Broker-Dealer and Registered Investment Adviser-the family business), as a securities analyst, member of the Investment Committee and a financial planning assistant. He became adept with personal computers and taught computing to financial planners and also for community education classes. He earned his Certified Financial Planner Designation from the College for Financial Planning, Denver, CO in 1986. He has served as the Director of Continuing Education for the Twin Cities Chapter of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners, as well as conducting a round table at a National CFP Retreat. He has been the Chairman of Programs for the Minneapolis Estate Planning Council and later served as President. He was elected Vice President of Planners Financial Services in 1989, Executive Vice President in 1993 and became President in late 1994. He is a founding partner in Montgomery Investment Management (MIM) 1992, doing discretionary investment portfolio management for both individuals and corporate retirement plans. He also has a growing personal practice in Financial Planning. He lives with his friend, Sue Richner, a Family Practice physician, on five acres in Afton, MN. Afton is a small village located on the St. Croix river. They have created a lawn of prairie grasses and trees for a wild bird sanctuary. They are raising two Borzois (Russian Wolf Hounds).

Montgomery, Henry “Harry” Biggs

(Henry Montgomery)

Left to right: Martha Grace (Wilkinson) Montgomery, Henry Biggs Montgomery and Ruth (Montgomery) Day.

Henry “Harry” Biggs Montgomery was born 24 Nov 1882 in Decorah, IA, the second son and fourth of 5 children of Michael Henry and Sarah Lang Richardson Montgomery. All the children were born in Decorah. They were an active, talented and closely knit family participating in community affairs, church, social and fraternal organizations. All the family had musical interests and abilities.

Harry was not a robust young person. Consequently the family spent some winters in California and Texas.

They also traveled frequently to Minneapolis where Mrs. Montgomery’s mother and two sisters lived. This involved much luggage and an all day train trip. Harry attended Breckenridge Academy and Valders Business School. His academic experience was limited due to developing visual problems.

Early in the 1900’s Harry and W. S. “Bunks” Hustvedt formed and operated the Motor Supply Company, the first of many businesses originated and/or developed by Harry. They sold motorcycles, tires, batteries and other accessories. In the 1920’s he established the Monte Oil Company which serviced farmers with three tank trucks, several rural gasoline pumps and Decorah residents with 2 service stations. They sold Monte Oil and GoPhar Gasoline, both proprietary brands. The first service station was located on the intersection of State and E. Water Street “The Monte Oil Corner" and the second station was built on the corner of Bridge and Heivly Street. The Monte Oil Company was sold in 1930.

In 1931 Harry purchased the L. Tatro Radio Corporation, its trademarks and patents from Lyle and Dewey Tatro. This was a small business employing 3 people, plus the 2 brothers, that manufactured a 32 volt direct current radio. This was the first radio designed to use direct current (D.C.) instead of the customary alternating current (A.C.). Harry viewed it as a great opportunity to provide radios for farmers who could take the batteries from their automobiles at night. They had kerosene lamps in their homes (all before the R.E.A.). This would also provide needed employment for Decorahians during the Great Depression. The business developed and sold radios internationally as well as domestically. It provided jobs for about 200 people, with a payroll of $4,000/week during its peak in 1934. The market shrank dramatically in 1936 due to political electioneering promises of immediate and cheap electricity for all rural people by means of the Rural Electrification Administration (R.E.A.). L. Tatro finally was sold in 1939 to Ernie A. Eckstein of LeRoy, MN.

Shortly after purchasing L. Tatro Radio, Harry purchased the franchise for Royal Crown Cola & Nehi Beverages, forming The Nehi Bottling Co. of Decorah. It also sold Schlitz, Hamms & Heilman’s Old Style lager beers in the northeastern counties of IA. This business was eventually sold to his son Henry. They sold the beer division early on and in 1964 sold the Nehi Bottling Company to the Maher 7-UP Interests of Des Moines, IA.

Harry Montgomery was a very public-spirited citizen who promoted Decorah and its various cultural and business affairs. He was a 50 year member of the Decorah BPOE Lodge. He was very conscious of providing employment for Decorahians both young and old. He also promoted Decorah in the manner in which he did business, In Aug 1933 he brought all his national distributors and wives to Decorah on special Pullman railroad sleeping cars for a two-day convention. In the 1930’s he employed two shifts of sales people at the Nehi Bottling Company with a 3-day week for each shift, to provide income for as many as possible during those difficult times.

Harry finally lost his vision completely in the 1950’s. When he was 75 years old he was trained to become the