John Hooe Russel

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John Hooe Russel was president of the city’s first bank,
 the Bank of Huntington. When an armed gang robbed
 the bank, he saddled his horse and joined
 the posse chasing the culprits.

File photo | The Herald-Dispatch

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John Hooe Russel (1842-1903), president of the city’s first bank, the Bank
 of Huntington, kept a pair of Colt revolvers on his desk, in easy reach if
 needed. As fate would have it, Russel was at lunch on Sept. 7, 1875,
 when four armed men robbed the bank and raced out of town.
 Returning from lunch, Russel rushed into the bank
 for his pistols but found them gone.

A chase ensured as the bandits galloped out McCoy Road (past where
 the Huntington Museum of Art now stands), with Russel and 20
 or so armed citizens in pursuit. The posse trailed the bandits
 into Kentucky before giving up the chase. Local legend
 has it that it was famed outlaw Jesse James or maybe
 his brother Frank who led the gang that staged
 the Huntington robbery but most experts on
 Western history are skeptical
 of that claim.

Whatever the identities of the bandits, the robbery provided a colorful
 chapter in the early history of Huntington. And, fittingly enough, in
 Russel it featured one of the young city’s most prominent
 citizens. Born in Huntsville, Alabama, on June 15, 1842,
 Russel was one of the first businessmen to recognize
 the opportunities available in the new
 city of Huntington.

Arriving in the new town in 1872, Russel initially entered the grocery
 business, but when the Bank of Huntington was organized, he
 becameits cashier. He was named its president following
 the death of the bank’s first president, Mayor Peter
 Cline Buffington. Over time, the Bank of
 Huntington evolved into the First
 Huntington National Bank, long
 one of West Virginia’s
 leading banks.

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Note:  This Article and picture appeared in the Herald-Dispatch Newspaper on Jan. 14, 2025.

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