By Emmett Fitzpatrick
Marquette Bank has been a long time advertiser in Irish American News.
Eighty years ago – on May 12, 1945, four days after Victory in Europe Day marked the end of World War II in Europe – Chicago native John McCarthy founded Marquette Bank on the city’s South Side, serving as Founding Director and Chairman of the Board. After a career in real estate, He had raised $250,000 from family, friends, and local business owners to capitalize the new bank, believing that his neighborhood would need and support a new bank following the Great Depression and World War II. Under his guidance, the bank focused on financing essential assets—cars, homes, and apartment buildings—for local residents. He believed this was the best way to serve the interests of depositors, neighbors, and shareholders. Mr. McCarthy’s vision proved prophetic, as the bank became profitable in 1946 and every year since.
Eighty years since its founding, the bank remains staple of the Chicagoland community and has been celebrating its eight decades in business throughout this year. Earlier in May, the bank hosted customers, employees, and nonprofit partners at all 20 of its banking centers across Chicagoland as well as at its Corporate Center in Orland Park. The 80th Anniversary celebration will conclude with a fall special event honoring the people and organizations featured in the “80 Faces of Marquette Bank” campaign. For customers, there will be a final branch wide celebration on September 27 to coincide with National Good Neighbor Day.
For Paul McCarthy(pictured), Mr. McCarthy’s son who serves as Bank Chairman, these celebrations reflect the bank’s commitment to the communities they serve and serve as a fitting honor to his family’s legacy and Irish heritage.
While the size of the bank has grown dramatically over the past 80 years, its measured growth still encompasses real estate lending, giving back to the neighborhoods, and retaining shareholders who are descendants of the original founders—values that Mr. McCarthy would have appreciated.
Quantifying the impact that Marquette Bank has made over the course of 80 years serving our communities is an exercise in futility, but a summary of its service activities over the past years provides a glimpse into just how important the institution has been.
For the 80th Anniversary, Marquette Bank will complete a minimum of 80 service projects this year. In May, the annual scholarship program awarded 64 scholarships to local high school students—a tradition that began in 1968. Employee teams also made 50 sandwiches for 22 days, resulting in 1,100 sandwiches donated to a local shelter. In June, the Marquette Neighborhood Commitment hosted its third Mobile Food Pantry event of the year, during which families can drive through and pick up food to last an entire week. Each event helps over 200 families in need.
Moreover, the award-winning Marquette Neighborhood Commitment program conducts monthly service projects, provides volunteers, offers support, and partners with nonprofits in the areas of Shelter/Housing, Hunger, Education, and Health/Wellness.
While the 80th anniversary is cause for celebrations – and those continue throughout the year – it also reflects the fulfillment of founder John McCarthy’s dream and serves as a testament to son Paul’s leadership in keeping Marquette Bank a thriving Chicagoland institution.
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Paul McCarthy Continues Family Legacy as Marquette Bank Celebrates 80 Years
