Almon, William Bruce

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Colin D. Howell, “ALMON, WILLIAM BRUCE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/almon_william_bruce_7E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Doctor, office holder, and politician; b. 25 Oct. 1787 in Halifax, son of William James Almon and Rebecca Byles, a daughter of Mather Byles; m. 29 Jan. 1814 Laleah Peyton Johnston, daughter of William Martin Johnston and Elizabeth Lichtenstein, in Annapolis Royal, N.S.; they had 11 children, including William Johnston; d. 12 July 1840 in Halifax.
    • William Bruce Almon belonged to a distinguished family which for more than a century contributed physicians and surgeons to Halifax society. Both his mother and his father were loyalists, coming to Nova Scotia in 1776 and about 1780 respectively. His father was surgeon to the Board of Ordnance and the Royal Artillery at Halifax. The entire family was staunchly tory in politics. William Bruce’s sister, Amelia Elizabeth, married James William Johnston, leader of the conservative forces in the colony and opponent of responsible government. His brother, Mather Byles Almon, was one of the original directors of the Bank of Nova Scotia, its president from 1837 to 1870, and, like William Bruce, a member of the Legislative Council and supporter of the Johnston government.
    • Like many of his colleagues, Almon was concerned about improving the standards of medical treatment in Nova Scotia. He supported the passing of the Medical Act of 1828, designed to exclude “ignorant and unskilful persons from the practice of Physic and Surgery,” and was a member of the province’s first licensing board. Almon also apprenticed a number of young medical students, one of whom was Daniel McNeill Parker, a founder of the Medical Society of Nova Scotia and later president of the Canadian Medical Association. Parker remembered Almon as “the warmest and kindest hearted man I ever met.”
  • Grandson of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=1101
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/162815076/william-bruce-almon