Marr v. Bank of West Tennessee

72 Tenn. 578
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedApril 15, 1880
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 72 Tenn. 578 (Marr v. Bank of West Tennessee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marr v. Bank of West Tennessee, 72 Tenn. 578 (Tenn. 1880).

Opinion

Deadeeick, C. J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

In February, 1854, the Legislature of Tennessee chartered the Bank of West Tennessee, and in March, 1854, books for subscription of stock were opened, and, as the minutes of the proceedings oí said bank recite, 8,000 shares of stock of $100 each were subscribed for, and ten per cent, per share, or $80,000, paid. This sum was ordered to be deposited in the banking house of Cherry, [580]*580Caldwell & Co. A month- later five directors were elected, and a week thereafter O. W. Cherry was elected President, having received all the votes, say 301. About a year after the election of Cherry as President, the next entry appears, and shows a meeting of the stockholders, on the 4th of April, 1855, showing five stockholders. Cherry owned 8,496 shares and the other four one share each, there having been, as recited, 500 additional shares subscribed, making a total of 8,500. All the stockholders were elected Directors, and Cherry made President. On the 12th of April, 1855, the Directors met, and were informed that Cherry had tranferred his stock, but to whom does not appear, and his seat was declared, thereby, to be vacant, then each of the Directors successively resigned, and the vacancies were filled as they occurred. On the 12th of June, 1855, a new President was elected to fill the vacancy which had occurred on the 12th of April, 1855, and a Cashier were elected. March 17th, 1856, at a stockholders meeting, the proceedings of which are recorded in four lines, five Directors were elected. Whether these were other stockholders than those elected, or in what proportion the stock was then held, does not appear. At a meeting of Directors, April 26th, 1856, certificates of deposit for $20,000 were directed to be issued to pay for the charter and other expenses incurred. The next record is of a special meeting of Directors held March 13th, 1857, to ratify and confirm certificates of deposits [581]*581issued in Eebruary, 1857, and to cancel other certificates of deposits issued April 26th, 1857. Erom this time to May 15th, 1858, four entries appear, recording resignations of Directors and other officers, and election of new ones. At this date— May 15th, 1858 — it appears “sundry bills and notes” were discounted. Thenceforth, to the 22nd of November, 1858, similar entries appear, at which last date it appears $52,000 in notes had been issued. Erom the 22nd of November, 1858, to the 19th of May, 1860, four entries appear; two the 1st of December, 1858, and the 4th of January, 1859, recording discount of “ sundry bills and notes.” On March 25th, 1859, the stockholders held a meeting, at which Directors were elected, and by them a President; and the. other March 25th, 1860, recording a stockholders meeting and the election of Directors. On the 19th of May, 1860, a number of resignations and election of Directors took place, when P. O. Bethell, J. M. Williamson and John A. Sannoner transferred to the Memphis Insurance Company 7,995 shares of the capital stock of the Bank of West Tennessee, which, with one share each held by Apperson, Nelson, Townsend, May and Church, making 8,000 shares, is said to be the whole of the stock. Thus, 500 shares seem to have been dropped off from the amount of capital stock.

T. A. Nelson and Ben May were elected President and Cashier. On the next day a committee was appointed to receive the assets of the insur-[582]*582anee company, who were also authorized, in connection with Bethell and Williamson, to burn the old issues of the bank then in its possession.

On the 22nd of May, 1860, books were ordered to be opened to receive subscriptions to the capital stock of the bank, upon which five per cent, was to be paid, at the time of subscription, to Ben May, Receiver, and a call of ten per cent, was to be paid on the 1st of October next thereafter.

By-laws were adopted, one of which was that “any stock owned by a stockholder in this bank may be tranferred to any other person on the transfer book of the bank, the person making the transfer shall cease being a holder of such stock on signing said transfer, and the person to whom it is transferred shall, in all respects, assume the position of the person transferring such stock.. And such are the substantial provisions of the charter.

The reorganization of the bank was thus effected, and thereafter meetings were regularly held, and the ordinary business of banking institutions carried on until the bank was removed South under military orders, and by direction of the' Board of Directors in May, 1862.

In this purchase the insurance company paid $80,000 for the charter, plates, etc., and an arrangement was made with Bethell and others, by which the bank was protected against the payment of any outstanding notes of the bank. The insurance company was absorbed by the bank, al[583]*583though in form it had become the purchaser of the stock of Bethell, Williamson and Sannoner, yet the transaction was in substance and effect the purchase of the charter under which an entirely new organization was had. A new subscription of stock was made to the amount of $780,800, which was formally transferred by the insurance company to the several subscribers, and upon this new subscription of stock the bank operated. ifo assets of the former organization were transferred to the new. Under these facts, when the cause was here in 1873, it was held that the bank was organized in May, 1860, although operating under a charter granted in 1854, and that the subscribers for stock in and after May, 1860, were the. .original stockholders, as it appears that all the liabilities of said bank, then and now outstanding, are those created since the new organization. It is true the meager record of the proceedings had under the charter up to the transfer in May, 1860, recite that $80,000 had been paid in upon subscriptions of stock made, but we are satisfied, from an examination of the record, that this is not true in point of fact, as there is nothing to show what was done with this large sum, and it also appears that ¿xpedients to raise money to defray expenses were resorted to, and frond the frequent shifting of stock, which often appeared almost entirely in the name of one person, and repeated changes of officers, indicate that the organization was more nominal than real, and kept up, not for the purpose [584]*584of legitimate Ranking business, but with tbe view of speculation, until tbe transfer in May,' 1860.

In tbe opinion of tbis Court, pronounced in 1873, it is said: “ Tbe assignment of stocks by the owner does not discharge him from liability. Upon tbe subscription it becomes corporate property, impressed with a trust in favor of tbe note-holders. It was in effect an agreement by tbe subscribers to pay into tbe bank the amount subscribed by him,” etc.

Tbe learned Special Chancellor, Hon. Thomas W. Brown, who rendered tbe decree from which an appeal was taken by a number of stockholders, held tbe language quoted as applying to the original, and not to intermediate assignors.

Ve accept bis interpretation as correct, and even considering it as an original and open question in a well considered written opinion, be very ably sustains tbis view upon tbe ground of tbe application of tbe banking act of 1859-60. In terms tbis act bolds tbe original subscriber liable until bis subscription is paid up, whether be retain or assign tbe stock.

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Related

State Ex Rel. Melton v. Nolan
30 S.W.2d 601 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 1930)

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Bluebook (online)
72 Tenn. 578, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marr-v-bank-of-west-tennessee-tenn-1880.