View source for Molsons Bank

{{Short description|Canadian bank (1855–1925)}}
{{Infobox company
| logo = Molsons Bank crest.png
| industry = [[Banking]]
| fate = Acquired by the [[Bank of Montreal]]
| foundation = {{Start date|1855|05|19|df=y}}
| defunct = {{End date|1925}}
| hq_location = [[Molson Bank Building]]
| location_city = [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]
| locations = 125
}}

The '''Molsons Bank''' was a Canadian bank founded in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]], by brothers [[William Molson|William]] (1793–1875) and [[John Molson, Jr.]] (1787–1860), the sons of brewery magnate [[John Molson]].

==Operations==
In 1837, the bank opened and issued its first banknotes.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://canadacurrency.com/chartered-bank-notes/montreal/value-of-old-banknotes-from-the-molsons-bank-of-montreal-canada |title=Value of Old Banknotes from The Molsons Bank of Montreal, Canada |website=canadacurrency.com|date=12 September 2013 }}</ref> In 1850, it was constituted under the ''Free Banking Act'' passed by the parliament of the [[Province of Canada]]. To increase its powers and its revenue, the bank was incorporated in 1855. It was granted a charter on May 19, 1855 in [[Montreal]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates |last=Pound |first=Richard W. |publisher=Fitzhenry and Whiteside |year=2005}}</ref> allowing it to operate its bank in the same way as other banks. With its [[Molson Bank Building, Montreal|head office]] at the corner of [[Saint Jacques Street|St. James]] & St. Peter streets (today known as [[Saint Jacques Street|Saint-Jacques]] and Saint-Pierre streets) in Montreal, it continued in operation until 1925 when it merged with the [[Bank of Montreal]].

==Branches==
The bank operated 125 branches primarily in [[Quebec]] and [[Ontario]]. It also had branches in western Canada and agents in the US and UK.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wark|first=S. Arnold|title=City of Calgary year book|year=1919|location=Calgary|page=123|url=http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=3571323|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130918061033/http://www.ourfutureourpast.ca/loc_hist/page.aspx?id=3571323|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 18, 2013}}</ref>

The [[Bank of Montreal]] at 3 [[Waterloo Regional Road 15|King Street]] South, [[Waterloo, Ontario]], is a former branch of the Molson Bank that was built in 1914 and is on the Registry of Historical Places of Canada.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=14386&pid=0 |title=Bank of Montreal 3, Waterloo |website=Canada's Historic Places|publisher=Parks Canada |access-date=August 6, 2022}}</ref>

==Presidents==
# [[William Molson]], 1855–1875
# John Thomas Molson, 1875–1879
# [[Thomas Workman (Canadian politician)|Thomas Workman]], 1879–1889
# [[John Henry Robinson Molson]], 1889–1897
# William Molson Macpherson, 1897–1922
# Frederick William Molson, 1922–1924<ref>{{Cite web| title=The BMO Legacy - Two Centuries of Commitment to Customers | url=http://www.bmo.com/bmo/files/images/4/1/BMOHistoryEng.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121153556/http://www2.bmo.com/bmo/files/images/4/1/BMOHistoryEng.pdf | archive-date=2008-11-21}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="nolines">
File:Banque Molson.jpg|Molson Bank
File:Molsons Bank Montreal.jpg|Molson Bank in Montreal
File:The Bank of Montreal, Waterloo (formerly Molsons Bank Building).jpg|Waterloo, Ontario branch
File:Molson Bank Saint-Rémi Notre-Dame.jpg|Saint-Rémi and Notre-Dame branch, Montreal, Quebec
File:Molsons Bank, Toronto.png|The Toronto main branch at 300 Bay Street.
File:Molsons Bank, Kitchener Ontario.png|Kitchener, Ontario branch
File:Molsons Bank, Hamilton, Ontario.png|Hamilton, Ontario branch
File:Molsons Bank, St Thomas, Ontario.png|St Thomas, Ontario branch
File:The Molsons Bank Ontario newspaper ad.png|Newspaper advertisement from 1916.
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of banks in Canada]]
*[[Molson Bank Building, Montreal]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

*Denison, Merrill, 1893–1975. Canada's first bank : a history of the Bank of Montreal. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, c1966. 2 v. : ill., maps, ports., (some folded, some col).; 25&nbsp;cm.

{{Commons}}
{{Bank of Montreal}}
{{Canadian banks}}

[[Category:Defunct banks of Canada]]
[[Category:Companies based in Montreal]]
[[Category:Molson family]]
[[Category:Banks established in 1850]]
[[Category:Banks disestablished in 1925]]
[[Category:Bank of Montreal]]
[[Category:1850 establishments in Canada East]]
[[Category:1925 disestablishments in Quebec]]
[[Category:Canadian companies established in 1850]]


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