Bion Barnett
Bion Hall Barnett (October 7, 1857 – October 30, 1958) was an American banker. In 1877 he co-founded Barnett Bank, known as "Florida's Bank", the largest in the U.S. state of Florida at the time of its acquisition by NationsBank in 1997. Early years He was born in Hiawatha, Kansas, the son of William Boyd Barnett and the former Sarah Jane Blue. His father was a merchant and a banker in northeast Kansas. He was the younger of two children who lived to adulthood. His older brother, Will (five years older) moved from Kansas to Jacksonville, Florida to start a furniture business in 1874, just as Bion enrolled at the University of Kansas. Will spoke highly of Florida's moderate winter, so the following year, his parents journeyed to Jacksonville to visit their oldest son. Sarah Barnett suffered from neuralgia, but her health improved during their time in Florida, so the Barnetts returned to Kansas, liquidated their assets, and relocated to Jacksonville in March 1877. Bion, who was a college senior, withdrew from school to join his parents three months before graduation. Bank of Jacksonville On May 7, 1877, Barnett opened the Bank of Jacksonville on the corner of Main and