After spending the last 20 years working in Wachovia's corporate archives, it shouldn't surprise me when I come across historical milestone gems while researching totally unrelated topics. It happened again last week. I probably wouldn't have even noticed this particular 1958 oral history, but since March is Women's History Month, it caught my eye.
Miss Jay Spencer Knapp had no idea just how far ahead of her time she was when she became Atlanta's first female bank officer in 1921. She had come to work for the Lowry National Bank 
— a predecessor bank of First Atlanta, and subsequently Wachovia — in 1904.
Her position was to be the secretary and stenographer for all bank officers at Lowry, including its founder and president, Colonel Robert Lowry. She recalled that "Colonel Lowry was not very interested in letter writing as he was an active man in his early years. Even in his late years, he preferred talking to customers and making contacts to sitting at his desk and handling office routine.";
Miss Knapp handled all banking done by mail, and prepared all of the cashier's checks. At that time, the officers' desks were along the rail that separated the office space from the banking room floor. Her desk was in the middle of this group so she was able to watch the everyday flow of business and take notes when the officers consulted with each other.
Later Miss Knapp became Mr. H. Warner Martin's personal secretary when he became vice president. She remembered that "Mr. Martin was a very quiet and retiring man and not much of a mixer or sociable being. He was very serious about his banking."; Martin had risen through the ranks and became president in 1921.
On the evening before the annual directors meeting in January 1921, Mr. Martin paid Miss Knapp a visit. He told her he was going to nominate her the next day for an officer's post in the bank. Miss Knapp told him if he thought she was qualified to be an assistant cashier, she would be proud to have the job.
She had worked closely with many bankers for years and remembered with pride the letters that flowed in from bankers across the country congratulating her on her election.
Just two years after her election as a bank officer, she became the vice president for the Southern Region in the Association of Bank Women.
In 1928, Miss Knapp's uncle, who lived in Paris, invited her to visit. She decided that 25 years in the banking business had been long enough. She turned in her letter of resignation, effective March 30, 1929. She reflected on her banking career with a great deal of fondness, recalling her years working in the bank as "a very good connection which was the source of many of my lasting friendships."
We are very proud of the career accomplishments of Miss Jay Spencer Knapp. She was certainly among a very elite group of career women 88 years ago!
I wish there was a picture of her to go along with the story.
Hi Megan:
Unfortunately, we do not have a photograph of Miss Knapp on file. Also, we have tried but are unable to locate any family members who might have been able to provide us with one.
Jay Spencer Knapp was my great aunt. She was a gracious lady and quite astute. In the early 20th century, she invested in two small companies that her male colleagues advised her would never make it. They were General Motors and Coca Cola. I will try to find a picture of her, if you would like to see one. She died in the early 60s of ovarian cancer, but was vital up to that point.
Hello Carlisle:
Thanks so much for contacting us! We are pleased to hear from you.
We all honor Miss Knapp's service to the organization and hope you can find any momento to show us.