Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

212 HISTORY OF THE BANKRobie Uniacke (chairman),1C. W. Anderson,2John MacNab, 8and W. J. G. Thomson, 4 and Dr. W. N. Wickwire. 5 Theselocal boards have now, however, ceased to exist as such, thesurviving members continuing to serve merely as an advisorycommittee.Significant as was the evolution of The Canadian Bankof Commerce from an inland and purely provincial to anall-Canadian institution with establishments on both theAtlantic and Pacific seacoasts of Canada, the fact shouldnot be overlooked that in the process the bank had alsoacquired a certain international status, the importance ofwhich was sure to increase with the passing of time. After1900 it had its own offices in Great Britain and the UnitedStates, and the ramifications of its business extended to otherparts of the world, as for instance, the Hawaiian Islands, aswill now be told. Not only was it established in London andNew York, the financial centres of the two hemispheres, but1Robie Uniacke (1835-1904) was born in Halifax, N.S., the son of Andrew MitchellUniacke, a member of a prominent legal family of Nova Scotia. Mr. Uniacke waseducated as a barrister, but did not practise, being a man of considerable means. Inaddition to serving as president of the Halifax Banking Company, he was a director innumerous other financial and industrial corporations (See Vol. I, p. 107).*Charles Willoughby Anderson (b. 1843) is a native of Musquodoboit Harbour,N.S. His father, William Anderson, was a Scottish land surveyor. Mr. C. NYAnderson was a member of the grocery firm of C. and W. Anderson for many years,but is now retired.John MacNab (1832-1916) was a native of Lanark, Scotland, the son of EbenezerMacNab, a merchant of that town. Mr. John MacNab entered commercial life inHalifax, where he was for many years a partner in the firm of Alexander MacLeodand Company. He took much interest in charitable and educational work. He wasa director of the Eastern Trust Company and of the Halifax Fire Insurance Company.4William James Guilding Thomson (b. 1858) is a son of James Thomson and anative of Halifax. Mr. Thomson has for many years been engaged in business inHalifax as an insurance broker and financial agent.William Nathan Wickwire, M.D. (1839-1911), son of Peter Wickwire, was bornat Cornwallis, N.S. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, graduatingin 1864. For some time he practised in Halifax in partnership with Dr. Tupper(afterwards Sir Charles Tupper). In 1866 he was appointed Assistant Health Officerfor the port of Halifax, and about six years later he became Chief Medical Officer,holding the latter position for twenty-seven years, or until his resignation in 1899.In addition to being a director of the Halifax Banking Company, he served on theBoards of a number of other companies.