Thomas M. Findlay Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0666

Scope and Content

Documents, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and publications pertaining to Chase Manhattan banker Thomas M. Findlay during the time of the Cuban Revolution and the events that followed soon after, leading to the confiscation of his house by the Castro government, and his retirement from banking in Cuba. The collection contains correspondence that relates to the confiscation of Mr. Findlay’s house in Havana and includes a detailed inventory of the contents of the house.

Dates

Creation: 1950 - 1980

Creator

Findlay, Thomas M. (Person)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

See more See less

Thomas M. Findlay was an executive for the Chase Manhattan Bank in Cuba. Mr. Findlay graduated from Lake Forest College and worked in various banks after graduating in 1918, including Peru. He began working for Chase Manhattan Bank in Havana, Cuba in 1929 as an assistant manager and worked his way to being the Second Vice President of the Chase Bank and manager of the Havana branch until his retirement from the post in 1961. While living in Cuba, Mr. Findlay earned an honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1943, was awarded a Medal of Honor from the National Commission Centennial of Marti, and the National Order of Merit Carlos Manuel de Cespedes. He served as Director and Treasurer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cuba, served as Director of the Anglo-American Welfare Federation, and was a founding member and director of the Cuban American Cultural Institute.

Thomas M. Findlay also served as a director of the Banco Nacional de Cuba, where he held this post before, during, and after the rise of the Cuban revolutionary government, serving as a board member alongside Ernesto Che Guevara.