Bank of Upper Canada

Bank of Upper Canada
Founded1821; 203 years ago (1821) in pre-Confederation Province of New Brunswick, Canada
FoundersJohn Strachan
William Allan
Defunct1866 (1866)
Headquarters
Key people
William Allan (first president)

The Bank of Upper Canada was established in 1821 under a charter granted by the legislature of Upper Canada in 1819 to a group of Kingston merchants.[1] The charter was appropriated by the more influential Executive Councillors to the Lt. Governor, the Rev. John Strachan and William Allan, and moved to Toronto. The bank was closely associated with the group that came to be known as the Family Compact, and it formed a large part of their wealth. The association with the Family Compact and its underhanded practices made Reformers, including Mackenzie, regard the Bank of Upper Canada as a prop of the government.[2] Complaints about the bank were a staple of Reform agitation in the 1830s because of its monopoly and aggressive legal actions against debtors.[3]

  1. ^ Peter A. Baskerville. "Bank of Upper Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ Peppiatt, Liam. "Chapter 80: Bank of Upper Canada". Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto Revisited. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  3. ^ Baskerville, Peter (1987). The Bank of Upper Canada: A Collection of Documents. Toronto: Champlain Society.