Henry D. Strong is one of the youngest bankers of the State of Kansas, being president of the Troy State Bank, having been elected to that office soon after passing his twenty-ninth birthday. His family have been prominent in Northeastern Kansas since territorial days, and the first banking institution in Troy was established by his maternal grandfather.
Henry Boder, Jr., the maternal grandfather of Henry D. Strong, was one of the strong and resourceful men of Northeastern Kansas in the early days and for half a century was identified with its business history, particularly as a banker.
He was born in Ohio January 28, 1837, and died at Troy, Kansas, January 24, 1909, aged seventy-one years, eleven months and twenty-three days. His father, Henry Boder, Jr., was of French stock and a native of Switzerland, and smigrated from Switzerland to America, arriving in this country March 18, 1834. On April 18, 1836, he married at Mount Eaton in Wayne County, Ohio, Leona Mattoit, a native of France. They became the parents of two sons, Henry being the older. The younger, Louis, was born at St. Joseph, Missouri, Angust 24, 1848. The family had moved out to St. Joseph in 1844. Mrs. Henry Boder, Sr., died there July 3, 1854. Henry, Sr., died January 18, 1887, and their son Louis passed away October 18, 1907.
The date of Henry Boder, Jr.’s, arrival in Troy, Kansas, was May 28, 1857. He became deputy county clerk under James R. Whitehead, and on June 2, 1859, was elected county clerk. Under territorial laws he was required also to perform the duties of registrar of deeds and clerk of the Probate Court. At the first election held under the State Constitution he was chosen clerk of the District Court. Henry Boder, Jr., was married January 22, 1863, to Anna E. L. Zimmerman, who was born in the State of Maryland in 1840. Her father, George T. Zimmerman, was also a pioneer in Doniphan County. From 1864, for six years, Henry Boder was a merehant at Troy. On February 4, 1870, he and his brother Louis opened the first bank of that village, under the name Boder Brothers. This firm continued for seventeen years. On the dissolution of the partnership Henry Boder, Jr., continued the banking business, and in 1890 it was reorganized as the Bank of Troy. He finally retired from banking March 6, 1906, after an erperience of over forty-five years. He was not alone successful in maintaining and directing a substantial and flourishing institution in his home town, but his influence as a financier affected the entire state. He never neglected an opportunity to improve and strengthen the banking laws of Kansas and his financial genins gave him a conspicuous position among the bankers of Eastern Kansas and Western Missouri.
From April 7, 1881, to 1887 Henry Boder served as mayor of Troy. That was a time of municipal advancement in many ways, but his interest in the city was not measured only by official service and he was always a helpful factor in behalf of schools and other institutions. He had been a charter member of Troy Lodge No. 55, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons since February 4, 1867. Mrs. Henry Boder, Jr., was a leading member of the Presbyterian Church in Troy for many years. She was always a ready helper for the good of the church and continned to aid in its different activities until her death, which occurred at her home in Troy on February 5, 1906. She was born April 30, 1840. She was the mother of two children, Anna L. and Henry L.
Henry D. Strong was born at Troy, Kansas, December 6, 1887, was educated in the public schools, and at the age of eighteen began his active career as a banker. For-two years he was assistant cashier of the Doniphan State Bank in his native town and than became bookkeeper in the Troy State Bank with which he had maintained more or less active relations ever since. Mr. Strong and his brother Louis L. opened an office for handling farm loans in 1909 and that business had gone on with continued prosperity until the present time. In 1913 Mr. Strong was made a director in the Troy State Bank and. was elected president on December 15, 1916.
The Troy State Bank was established August 18, 1906. Its first officers were: W. F. Zimmerman, president; Dr. W. B. Campbell, vice president; and Edward E. Doughty, cashier. The present officers besides Mr. Strong are Edward A. Sinclair, vice president; and Edward E. Doughty, cashier. The bank had a eapital stock of $15,000 and surplus in a similar amount.
Mr. Strong is a republican in politics. He is senior warden in Troy Lodge No. 55, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, while his brother Louis is junior warden. In Troy Chapter No. 16, Royal Arch Masons, he is serving as king, while his brother is scribe. He also belongs to Washington Council No. 2, Royal and Select Masters, at Atchison, Washington Commandery No. 2, Knights Templar, at Atchison, and Abdullah Temple of the Mystic Shrine.
On November 5, 1913, at Troy, Kansas, Henry D. Strong married Miss Veda M. Campbell, daughter of Dr. W. B. and Mabel (Perry) Campbell. Her father, now deceased, was a prominent physician of Troy and also one of the original officers of the Troy State Bank. Her mother is still living at Troy.