[1] Grant was born in Scotch Hill, Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
In 1854, he started teaching in Cape John, Nova Scotia after receiving his teachers' certificate.
He later started studying Theology, attending school in Truro, Nova Scotia,[2] graduating in 1859,[3] and also in Princeton, New Jersey, until moving to Trinidad and Tobago in 1870.
[6][self-published source] He also founded Naparima College in 1894, the first secondary school on the island.
Grant's son, Thomas, was a prominent businessman in Trinidad and Tobago and founded T. Geddes Grant Ltd. His grandsons Fred and Sir Lindsay ran the company, and Jackie and Rolph captained the West Indies Test cricket team.