Thomas William Lockwood Mackean was organizer and chairman of the
Bank of British Columbia.
He shared his opinions with the colonial government on financial matters and strongly
advocated for certain policies.
For instance, Mackean continuously encouraged the colonies of
Vancouver Island and
British Columbia to adopt the dollar and cent currency — as was done in the United States — and to
create a mint
in order to coin gold at home rather than in
San
Francisco.
Prior to organizing the
Bank of British Columbia, Mackean worked with the firm Turner and Company of China, and was a director of
the
London and South African Bank.
He remained chairman of the
Bank of British Columbia from its formation in
1862 until his death at the age of
sixty-two on
8 May 1876.