John C. Biggins (died September 18, 1971) was an American banker and the inventor of Charg-It, a forerunner of the bank credit card. He created Charg-It in 1946 while working for Flatbush National Bank in Brooklyn, New York.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] At the time of his death, he was chairman of Franklin Bank of Paterson, New Jersey. He had earlier been the bank's president. Notable positions he held include being a member of the board of trustees of St. Joseph's Hospital of Paterson, President of the Garden State Credit Bureau, Director of Group Health Insurance of New York, and the Hamilton Club. He was married with three children and died in 1971.[5]

John C. Biggins
DiedSeptember 18, 1971 (age 61)
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupationbank executive
EmployerFranklin Bank of Paterson
Known forinvented Charg-It, a forerunner of the bank credit card
Children3

References edit

  1. ^ "The Origins of Credit Cards, Checks, Coins and Bills". www.mentalfloss.com. 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  2. ^ "Now You Know: What Was the First Credit Card?". Time. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  3. ^ "Inventor". Credit cards. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  4. ^ Mandell, Lewis (1990). The credit card industry : a history. Boston: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 0-8057-9810-2. OCLC 21335835.
  5. ^ a b "John C. Biggins Dies, Paterson Banker, 61". The New York Times. 1971-09-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  6. ^ "Why did John Biggins invent the credit card? – Mvorganizing.org". www.mvorganizing.org. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  7. ^ Sahay, Drishti (2020-06-15). "Invention of the Credit Card". Medium. Retrieved 2021-08-25.