John Garnett Banks

Sir John Garnett Banks (9 May 1889 – 2 May 1974) was a Scottish businessman and local politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1954 to 1957.

He was born in Edinburgh on 9 May 1889 the son of Elizabeth Forrest Grieve and John Garnett Banks.

[5] As Lord Provost he oversaw the closure of the original Edinburgh tram system in 1956, as it was considered too inflexible compared with buses.

[7] In office his main duties included agreeing to the "slum clearances" on the Canongate and the centre of Leith.

Large areas of land were used for developing well-laid out two and three storey buildings throughout the city.