Charles Truesdell Gorham was born in Danbury, Connecticut on May 29, 1812. He was raised in Oneonta, New York and trained for a business career. In 1836 Gorham moved to Marshall, Michigan where he was a merchant. In 1840 he started a bank, which he operated privately until 1865. That year he incorporated the institution as the First National Bank of Marshall, and he served as President until retiring in 1898. Gorham retired in 1898. He died in Marshall on March 11, 1901. Gorham was buried in Marshall's Oakridge Cemetery.