John Young Payzant

John Young Payzant K.C., M.A. (9 February 183719 November 1920) was a Canadian financier, lawyer, and politician in Nova Scotia.

Early life and education John Young Payzant was born on 9 February 1837 in Falmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.

His family had lived in Nova Scotia for several generations. John Young Payzant, whose ancestors were prominent Huguenots who fled Caen, France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, was also related to John Payzant. Following the completion of his B.A., he went on to receive his M.A. in 1863.

Sworn in on 4 May 1881, he was appointed as the warden (title changed to Mayor in 1889) of the City of Dartmouth. Serving two terms as the city's 5th mayor, his tenure ended in 1883.

In 1883, he began lecturing on the law of Torts at Dalhousie Law School.

In the by-election of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia held on 20 August 1884, he made his political debut, representing the Conservative Party in opposition to William Stevens Fielding. Although Fielding was elected, his party nominated him again at the 1886 Nova Scotia general election and the Dominion election of 1887. That year, Payzant was named King's Counsel.

Payzant became a well-regarded expert in the world of finance. He held seven shares in the Bank of British North America in 1888, valued at $350. By 1898, his holdings in the Bank of British North America had grown to 77 shares, worth $3,850. Payzant was appointed vice president of the Bank of Nova Scotia (now Scotiabank) in 1897. In December 1902, Payzant laid the cornerstone of the new Bank of Nova Scotia Building in Toronto.

He served on the Halifax School for the Blind's Board of Directors by 1898. By 1912, he had taken on several significant roles. Maintaining his role as a director of the Halifax School for the Blind, he was also a director of the Joint Benevolent Co. In addition, he served as vice president of Stanfield's Ltd., Eastern Trust Company, Halifax Electric Tramway Company, the Nova Scotia Telephone Company, and the Trinidad Consolidated Telephone Company. Along with his other responsibilities, he was president of the Bank of Nova Scotia, Empire Trust Company, Nova Scotia Fire Insurance Company, and the Halifax Archaeology Institute, and also served as a trustee of the Halifax Y.M.C.A.

In 1918, he retired from the presidency of the Bank of Nova Scotia as the oldest bank president in Canada. Prior to stepping away from business, he was president of the Bank of N.S., Empire Trust Co., N.S. Fire Insurance Co., and N.S. Telephone Co., while also directing multiple philanthropic organizations.

Personal life On 27 August 1868, Payzant married Frances E. Silver. Frances was the daughter of a Halifax dry goods merchant named William Chamberlain Silver. They had five sons and three daughters. John Young Payzant was a member of the Halifax Club, a conservative in politics, and an Anglican in faith. His summer residence was in Bayscote, Queens County, Nova Scotia.

Death John Young Payzant died at 84 years old on 19 November 1920 in Los Angeles, California, United States.