Volume 2 - ElectricCanadian.com

Bank of Commerce.1901 TO 1914 253During the previous twelve months HisMajesty, King George V, had conferred the honour of knighthoodon two of the directors of the bank. The Hon. SirLyman Melvin Jones received his knighthood at the time ofthe Coronation, and His Honour Sir John Morison Gibson,K.C.M.G., then serving as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario,at the New Year.The creation of the Eastern Townships division, comprisingall former branches of the Eastern Townships Bank southof the river St. Lawrence, took place on March 1, Mr. JamesMackinnon, 1 the late general manager of that institution,being given the title of manager-in-chief of the division, withheadquarters at Sherbrooke. Subsequently all the branchesin the province of Quebec, save those in Montreal, were placedunder the control of this department, and on Mr. Mackinnon 'sretirement from the post of manager-in-chief, his successor,Mr. E. L. Stewart Patterson, received the title of superintendent.Five directors of the Eastern Townships Bank,Messrs. William Farwell, D.C.L., 2 Gardner Stevens, 3 A. C.1James Mackinnon (b. 1850) is a native of Londonderry, Ireland, and was educatedat St. Francis College. Richmond, P.Q. He entered the service of the Eastern TownshipsBank and became manager at Cowansville in 1876 and at Grand Forks, B.C., in1000. Later in the same year he was appointed assistant general manager, and in 1902general manager (see Vol. I, p. 401). Mr. Mackinnon retired from active service in1917, and in 1920 was appointed chairman of the Sherbrooke Advisory Board ofthe bank. He served as Mayor of Cowansville for three years and as Warden ofMississquoi for one year. He was president of the Sherbrooke Board of Trade in 1908.'William Farwell, D.C.L. (1835-1918), was born at Compton, P.Q. After someyears spent in commercial life he entered the service of the People's Bank, Derby Line,Vt., in 1859 as assistant cashier. The following year he was appointed assistantcashier of the newly-founded Eastern Townships Bank, and subsequently rose to be,first, cashier, then general manager and finally president (see Vol. I, p. 375).Mr. Farwell served as Mayor of Sherbrooke in 1907 and 1908. He was a director ofthe Sherbrooke Railway and Power Company, the Black Lake Consolidated AsbestosCompany, and several other organizations. His eldest son, Edward Winn Farwell, ismanager of the Sherbrooke branch of The Canadian Bank of Commerce.Gardner Stevens (1850-1916) was born at Frost Village, P.Q., the son of the lateHon. Gardner Green Stevens, first manager of the Waterloo branch of the EasternTownships Bank and for many years a director and vice-president of that bank. Mr.Gardner Stevens, the son, became a director on his father's death in 1892 and in 1911was elected vice-president. He was secretary-treasurer of the Brome Lake ElectricPower Company, and a director of the St. Lawrence Power Company and several othercompanies.