Anderson, Thomas B., 1796-1873 : Thomas Brown Anderson, merchant, was born June 1796 in Edinburgh, Scotland and came to Montreal some time before 1827. Upon his arrival in Montreal, Anderson worked as a clerk in the commercial firm of Forsyth, Richardson and Company, which in partnership with Forsyth, Walker and Company of Quebec, traded in furs, wholesale provisions and real estate and acted as the East India Company's Canadian agent. It also served as the financial repository for the receiver-general's department of Lower Canada. His marriage in 1827 to Ann Richardson, eldest daughter of John Richardson, a senior partner in Forsyth, Richardson and Company, no doubt helped his business career as Anderson became the company's last president.
In 1847 when the major shareholders withdrew their capital, Anderson dissolved the copartnership with Forsyth, Walker and Company and reorganized the Montreal business under the name of Anderson, Auldjo and Company. When Louis Auldjo left the company in 1852 to establish his own business, Anderson's firm became Anderson, Evans and Company, hardware merchants and importers. By 1861, however, the company which was then known as Anderson, Evans and Evans was dissolved and Anderson devoted his full time to banking. Anderson, the son-in-law of one of the Bank of Montreal's most prominent founders and shareholders, served as a director of the bank from 1830 until 1834 and again from 1835 until his retirement in 1869.
Anderson was elected on 5 June 1860 to succeed Peter McGill as president of the Bank of Montreal. Although Anderson was described by some as "one of the old race of Canadian merchants", he readily recognized the change in the country's economy away from its old mercantile base to a more sophisticated corporate structure and he reorganized the Bank of Montreal's business and administration to profit from this change. He died 28 May 1873 in Montreal.
