William Anderson Black

William Anderson Black, born on October ninth, eighteen forty-seven in Windsor, Nova Scotia, was a prominent Canadian politician and businessperson. He was the son of Samuel Gay Black and Sophia Wright, and his career spanned several decades, marked by significant contributions to both politics and commerce.

In eighteen seventy-five, Black co-founded Pickford and Black with Robert Pickford, a company that initially focused on supplying ship's provisions. The enterprise later expanded into shipping passengers and freight, as well as trading in the West Indies, showcasing Black's entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.

His political career began when he represented Halifax County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from eighteen ninety-four to eighteen ninety-seven. Black made history when he was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Halifax in a by-election in nineteen twenty-three, becoming the oldest person ever elected at the age of seventy-six years, one month, and twenty-six days. He continued to serve, being re-elected in nineteen twenty-five, nineteen twenty-six, and nineteen thirty, and held the position of Minister of Marine and Fisheries (Acting) and Minister of Railways and Canals in Arthur Meighen's short-lived cabinet in nineteen twenty-six.

In addition to his political endeavors, Black was a co-founder of the Maritime Life Assurance Company in nineteen twenty-two and served as president of Eastern Canada Savings and Loan, as well as a director for the Royal Bank. He was married to Annie Bell and fathered five children. In nineteen twenty-four, he established a chair of commerce at Dalhousie University, further contributing to the educational landscape of Canada.