His father, David Demaree Banta (1833–1896), was a trustee of Indiana University in Bloomington and was the first dean of its School of Law.
George Banta, a member of Phi Delta Theta, secured a contract to print its national magazine.
Through his father's academic connections, the company also won orders for university catalogs and yearbooks, textbooks, and magazines.
[3] Banta was elected, by unanimous consent, as the first President of the General Council of Phi Delta Theta at the 1880 Convention at the Grand Hotel in Indianapolis.
Banta was instrumental in establishing the first Delta Gamma chapter outside the Southern United States, at his alma mater.
[1] His former home, known as the George, Sr., and Ellen Banta House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.