Edward Vandenbraak and George A. Lawton filed state bank incorporation papers for the City Bank of Green Bay on March 5, 1863. Each man owned 125 shares of the new bank's stock for a total capitalization of $25,000. In 1864 the bank reported resources of some $78,000. After Vandenbraak's death, Conrad Kruger became president of the bank and in 1865, held all 250 shares.
The National Bank Act and related federal legislation between 1863 and 1865 brought major changes to American banking practice. In response to this legislation the City Bank of Green Bay incorporated as a national bank on May 1, 1865, under the direction of Kruger and Lawton. Two weeks later, to avoid a new federal tax on banks which issued or paid out state bank notes, City National announced that its outstanding notes could be presented for payment to the State Comptroller during the next three years.
For the next eight years, the City National Bank continued to grow. In September 1873, it reported assets of $333,286, capital stock of $50,000, and national currency circulation of $45,000. By that date William J. Fisk had become president, following Kruger's death, and H.G. Freeman was cashier.
The City National Bank went into voluntary liquidation on November 29, 1873 and posted sufficient bond with the Treasurer of the United States to redeem its circulation. William J. Fisk became a director of the Kellogg National Bank, which incorporated in Green Bay on January 1, 1874. The new firm moved into the quarters of the City National Bank, purchasing its safe and other fixtures. The City National deposited most of its assets with the new bank although it continued to close its affairs until at least 1880. In an 1874 Green Bay city directory, the Kellogg Bank advertised itself as “successor to City National Bank.”
