Pryor, William

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: David A. Sutherland, “PRYOR, WILLIAM (1775-1859),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/pryor_william_1775_1859_8E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Ship’s captain, businessman, and office holder; b. 1775 in New York City, son of Edward Pryor and Jane Vermilye; m. 19 March 1798 Mary Barbara Voss; d. 4 Sept. 1859 in Halifax.
    • The Pryors were a loyalist family that came to Halifax from New York in 1783. William’s grandfather arrived in America as a master carpenter but quickly and with considerable success turned to trade, as did his son Edward. William, the youngest of Edward’s three sons, followed his brothers into commerce, apprenticing during the 1790s as a ship’s captain in the West Indies trade. According to tradition, William spent part of his early career as a prisoner of the French on Guadeloupe and served at least briefly as captain of a Nova Scotia privateer. About 1800 he established premises on Water Street, from which he carried on general trade. The scale of his business remained modest at first, and he operated very much in the shadow of his elder brother John. He did well enough during the Napoleonic Wars, however, to be able in 1816 to spend £587 for land on Halifax’s Northwest Arm. Over succeeding years this property was developed into an estate of considerable elegance named Coburg.
    • Pryor’s rise to prominence came mainly after the War of 1812 and was occasioned in part by the deaths of his brother John in 1820 and of his father in 1831. Through inheritance and purchase he became the owner of extensive waterfront property, later known as the Dominion Wharf complex. The scale of his business is indicated by the permits issued by the local custom-house to authorize the re-export of goods brought into Halifax. 
    • Pryor’s shrewdest business decision had come in 1825, when he invested £5,000 to become one of the eight founding partners of the Halifax Banking Company. This initiative brought annual dividends of up to 20 per cent as well as membership in the inner circle of Halifax commerce. 
  • Son of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=6806
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