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Private company

First Woman's Bank of Tennessee

First Woman's Bank of Tennessee was founded by Brenda Vineyard Runyon in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1919. The ongoing women's suffrage movement reflected many women's desire to hold accounts independently of male relatives. The bank was the first in the United States to be managed and directed entirely by women.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

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Lulu Bringhurst Epperson
Photo: various, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

First Woman's Bank of Tennessee was founded by Brenda Vineyard Runyon in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1919. The ongoing women's suffrage movement reflected many women's desire to hold accounts independently of male relatives. The bank was the first in the United States to be managed and directed entirely by women. The novel concept resulted in a total of $20,000 in deposits on its first day of business, October 6, 1919.2

Sources

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