Mina Marie Bruere (August 16, 1865 – March 10, 1937) was an American banker, president of the National Association of Bank Women from 1928 to 1930.

Early life

Mina Bruere was born in

St. Charles, Missouri Saint Charles (commonly abbreviated St. Charles) is a city in, and the county seat of, St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The population was 65,794 at the 2010 census, making St. Charles the ninth-largest city in Missouri. Situated on t ...

, the daughter of John Enrst Bruere and Cornelia Solomea Schoeneich Bruere. Her father was a surgeon in the Missouri State Militia during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. One of her brothers was

Henry Bruère Henry Jaromir Bruère (January 15, 1882 – February 17, 1958) was a Progressive public administrator, reformer and social reformer known for his role as credit advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the banking liquidity crisis between ...

, president of

Bowery Savings Bank The Bowery Savings Bank was a bank in New York City, chartered in May 1834. By 1980, it had over 35 branches in the New York metropolitan area. In 1992, it was sold to H. F. Ahmanson & Co. for $200 million. The bank's first branch at 130 Bowe ...

; another brother, Robert, was a journalist who covered the labor movement.

Career

Bruere was a singer and a charity worker as a young woman. She managed the Choral Symphony Society in St. Louis in 1897. She became secretary to

Frank A. Vanderlip Frank Arthur Vanderlip Sr. (November 17, 1864 – June 30, 1937) was an American banker and journalist. He was president of the National City Bank of New York (now Citibank) from 1909 to 1919, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from 18 ...

, president of National City Bank. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she was a leader of the New York Woman's Victory Loan Committee. In 1922, she became assistant secretary of Central Hanover Bank and Trust, and head of the bank's women's department. She was one of the founders of the National Association of Bank Women, and president of the association from 1928 to 1930. "The day has gone past when sex was a factor in business or the professions," she explained in a 1928 interview. "The important thing to keep in mind, first, last, and always, is that a thorough grounding in financial principles and operation is absolutely essential to progress in the banking field, and that applies whether it is a man or a woman who is concerned." Bruere was involved in political and feminist projects. In 1928 she campaigned for

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

when he ran for President as the Democratic candidate. In 1929, she met with

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

on Curie's 62nd birthday in New York. In 1935, she worked with

Lena Madesin Phillips Lena Madesin Phillips (September 15, 1881 - May 22, 1955) was a lawyer and clubwoman from Nicholasville, Kentucky, who founded the National Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1919. She enlarged her circle, traveling also to Europe, and in ...

Inez Haynes Irwin Inez Haynes Irwin (March 2, 1873 – September 25, 1970) was an American feminist author, journalist, member of the National Women's Party, and president of the Authors Guild. Many of her works were published under her former name Inez Haynes ...

, and

Mary Ritter Beard Mary Ritter Beard (August 5, 1876 – August 14, 1958) was an American historian, author, women's suffrage activist, and women's history archivist who was also a lifelong advocate of social justice. As a Progressive Era reformer, Beard was a ...

on creating the

World Center for Women's Archives World Center for Women's Archives was an organization established by Rosika Schwimmer and Mary Ritter Beard in the hopes of creating an educational collection which women could consult to learn about the history of women. The center was located in ...

. She discussed "Women in Finance" with

Harriot Stanton Blatch Harriot Eaton Blatch ( Stanton; January 20, 1856–November 20, 1940) was an American writer and suffragist. She was the daughter of pioneering women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Biography Harriot Eaton Stanton was born, the sixt ...

at a 1936 event held at the Women's University Club.

Personal life

Bruere died in 1937, at a hospital in New York, after a brief illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruere, Mina 1865 births 1937 deaths American bankers Women bankers People from St. Charles, Missouri