William Machin Stairs, (January 21, 1789 – November 28, 1865) was a merchant, a banker, and a statesman. He was born and died in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, Canada. William Machin Stairs was the son of John Stairs (1749–1797), a native of

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

who had emigrated to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

before moving to Halifax. John Stairs became involved in the shipping business but after some financial difficulties the family returned to Philadelphia in 1793. There, both John Stairs and his wife died and their five children, including the eight-year-old William Machin Stairs, returned to Halifax to be raised by a maternal uncle. In 1810, Stairs opened a small general store on the Halifax waterfront that marked the beginnings of a business dynasty that endured to 1975. In 1856, he helped found the Union Bank of Halifax. A major shareholder, he served on the bank's board of directors and as the bank's first president. Stairs was also active in politics, serving as a Member of the Nova Scotia General Assembly from 1841 to 1843, then as mayor of Halifax from 1847 to 1848 and later as a Legislative Councillor. He would become a strong supporter of

Joseph Howe Joseph Howe (December 13, 1804 – June 1, 1873) was a Nova Scotian journalist, politician, public servant, and poet. Howe is often ranked as one of Nova Scotia's most admired politicians and his considerable skills as a journalist and writer h ...

in his

Anti-Confederation Party ''Anti-Confederation'' was the name used in what is now the Maritimes by several parties opposed to Canadian Confederation. The Anti-Confederation parties were accordingly opposed by the Confederation Party, that is, the Conservative and Libera ...

movement. A member of the

Glasite The Glasites or Glassites were a small Christian church founded in about 1730 in Scotland by John Glas.John Glas preached supremacy of God's word (Bible) over allegiance to Church and state to his congregation in Tealing near Dundee in July 172 ...

Christian church, William Machin Stairs was married to Margaret Wiseman (1793–1850) with whom he had nine children. They are buried together at the

Camp Hill Cemetery Camp Hill Cemetery is a cemetery within Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located on Camp Hill, adjacent to Robie Street. History The city's first cemetery, the Old Burying Ground was established in 1749, growing for nearly a century until ...

, in Halifax.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stairs, William Machin 1789 births 1865 deaths Canadian people of American descent 19th-century Canadian businesspeople Canadian bank presidents Canadian Protestants Members of the Executive Council of Nova Scotia Mayors of Halifax, Nova Scotia Glasites 19th-century mayors of places in Nova Scotia 19th-century members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly