William Lawson (banker)

William Lawson (banker)

William Lawson - businessman, office holder, justice of the peace, and politician was born 14 March 1772, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of John Lawson and Sarah Shatford.

Business & Public Career

He was a founding director and first president of the Bank of Nova Scotia, now known as Scotiabank. As a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, he introduced a bill chartering a public bank. The bill ensured that any bank directors were responsible for double the amount of their holdings in case of insolvency. This clause was an innovation in British North America, and came at a time when most banks limited liability to the value of a shareholder’s stock. As a means of building trust and ensuring the savings of depositors, the concept provided stability to the fledgling bank which prospered and spread quickly from its inception in the Merchants' Coffee House, Halifax to become an international financial institution. Besides his mercantile and shipping ventures he served as an elected member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly from 1806 to 1836, and was appointed to the Legislative Council from 1838 to 1845.

Private Life

On 26 December, 1793, He married Elizabeth Handyside who was the daughter of his stepmother from a previous marriage. Although technically brother and sister, the couple were not biological relatives. William & Elizabeth had fourteen children and resided in a house at the corner of Hollis and Salter streets, built by Malachy Salter, about 1760. The house was sold by Lawson's heirs in 1856 to John Esson, and the land now comprises part of the site of Maritime Centre, in downtown Halifax.

External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=37613 "Dictionary of Canadian Biography" (DCB)]
* [http://www.lib.uwo.ca/business/cr-bankofnovascotia.htm Bank of Nova Scotia history]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lawson — The name Lawson can refer to a number of different things: People * Alfred Lawson 20th century American aviator, reformer, utopian and religious leader * Alfred Lawson, Jr. Florida state senator (2001 present) * Andrew Lawson Professor of Geology …   Wikipedia

  • Hugh Lawson White — Infobox Senator name=Hugh Lawson White jr/sr=United States Senator state=Tennessee party=Democratic Republican, Whig, Democratic term start=October 28, 1825 term end=January 13, 1840 preceded=Andrew Jackson succeeded=Alexander O. Anderson date of …   Wikipedia

  • List of people on stamps of Australia — This is a list of people on the postage stamps of Australia. NOTOC compactTOC 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Medal winners, Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, See also New South Wales 1850 1912 *Charles… …   Wikipedia

  • 1850 — For the game, see: 1850 (board game) . 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [ Calendar in year 1850 (Russia) (Julian calendar,… …   Wikipedia

  • Michael Ignatieff — The Honourable Michael Grant Ignatieff PC, Ph.D. 11 Honorary Doctorates …   Wikipedia

  • Mather Byles Almon — (1796 – 30 July 1871) was a Canadian banker, politician, and philanthropist. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Almon was a founder of the Bank of Nova Scotia. He was President of the Bank of Nova Scotia from 1837 to 1870.[1] References ^ Mather Byles …   Wikipedia

  • The Young and the Restless minor characters — The following are characters from the American soap opera The Young and the Restless who are notable for their actions or relationships, but who do not warrant their own articles. Contents 1 Current Characters 1.1 Genevieve …   Wikipedia

  • Bahn-Radsportweltmeisterschaft — Die UCI Bahn Weltmeisterschaften finden seit 1893 jährlich statt und werden heutzutage vom Radsport Weltverband UCI in verschiedenen Disziplinen des Bahnradsports ausgetragen. Die erste Bahn WM in Chicago 1893 wurde für Amateure in zwei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bahn-Radweltmeisterschaft — Die UCI Bahn Weltmeisterschaften finden seit 1893 jährlich statt und werden heutzutage vom Radsport Weltverband UCI in verschiedenen Disziplinen des Bahnradsports ausgetragen. Die erste Bahn WM in Chicago 1893 wurde für Amateure in zwei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bahn-Radweltmeisterschaften — Die UCI Bahn Weltmeisterschaften finden seit 1893 jährlich statt und werden heutzutage vom Radsport Weltverband UCI in verschiedenen Disziplinen des Bahnradsports ausgetragen. Die erste Bahn WM in Chicago 1893 wurde für Amateure in zwei… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”