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Single Sheet, Folded Twice To Make 6 Papges. The Text Of A Radio Address July 23, 1932 From Radio Stations Kfi And Kgo, Concluding Bank Of America's "Back To Good Times" Programs. Fine, Scarce. Per Wikipedia, Amadeo Pietro Giannini (1870 ?1949) Was An Italo-American Banker Who Founded The Bank Of Italy, Which Became Bank Of America. Giannini Was The First Son Of Luigi Giannini (1840?1877) And Virginia (Née Demartini) Giannini (1854?1920). Luigi Giannini Immigrated To The United States To Prospect In Response To The California Gold Rush Of 1849. Giannini Attended Heald College But Realized He Could Do Better In Business Than At School. In 1885, He Dropped Out And Took A Full-Time Position As A Produce Broker For L. Scatena & Co. He Married Clorinda Cuneo (1866?1949), Daughter Of A North Beach, San Francisco Real Estate Magnate, In 1892 And Eventually Sold His Interest To His Employees And Retired At The Age Of 31 To Administer His Father-In-Law's Estate. Giannini Founded The Bank Of Italy In The Jackson Square Neighborhood Of San Francisco On October 17, 1904. The Bank Was Based In A Converted Saloon As An Institution For The "Little Fellow". It Was A New Bank For The Hardworking Immigrants Other Banks Would Not Serve. The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake And Fires Leveled Much Of The City. In The Face Of Widespread Devastation, During The Period After The Fire Giannini Was One Of The Few Bankers Who Could Satisfy Withdrawal Requests And Provide Loans, Operating From A Plank Across Two Barrels In The Street. Giannini Made Loans On A Handshake To Those Interested In Rebuilding. Branch Banking Was Introduced By Giannini Shortly After 1909 Legislation That Allowed Branch Banking In California. Its First Branch Outside San Francisco Was Established In 1909 In San Jose. By 1916, Giannini Had Expanded And Opened Several Other Branches. He Bought Banks Throughout California And Eventually Bank Of Italy Had Hundreds Of Branches Throughout The State. Giannini Began Investing In The Bank Of America, Los Angeles Because Conservative Business Leaders In Los Angeles Were Less Receptive To The Bank Of Italy Than San Franciscans Had Been. Upon Finalizing The Merger Of Their Banks, Giannini And Orra Monnette Concurred That The Bank Of America Name Idealized The Broader Mission Of The New Bank. By 1929, The Bank Had Over 400 Banking Offices In California. The New Institution Continued Under Giannini's Chairmanship Until His Retirement In 1945; Monnette Retained His Board Seat And Officer's Position. Giannini Helped Nurture The Motion Picture And Wine Industries In California. He Loaned Walt Disney The Funds To Produce Snow White, The First Full-Length, Animated Motion Picture To Be Made In The Us. During The Great Depression, He Bought The Bonds That Financed The Construction Of The Golden Gate Bridge. During World War Ii, He Bankrolled Industrialist Henry Kaiser And His Enterprises Supporting The War Effort. After The War, He Visited Italy And Arranged For Loans To Help Rebuild The War-Torn Fiat Factories. Giannini Also Provided Capital To William Hewlett And David Packard To Help Form Hewlett-Packard. Giannini Founded Another Company, Transamerica Corporation, As A Holding Company For His Various Interests, Including Occidental Life Insurance Company. Giannini Had Long Been A Republican, But With The Collapse Of The Republican Party In The Great Depression, He Concerned Himself With Democratic State Politics. In The 1934 California Gubernatorial Election Giannini Worked Hard To Block Left-Wing Novelist Upton Sinclair From Winning The Primary For The Democratic Nomination. He Failed, And With Support From The White House, He Endorsed And Helped Finance The Republican Candidate, Incumbent Frank Merriam, Who Did Defeat Sinclair.
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