He also helped with the administration of Halifax and Nova Scotia, and was appointed to the legislative and executive councils of the province.

His father was William James Almon and his mother was Rebecca Byles; both were members of loyalist families.

In 1838, he was a delegate to meet Canada's new Governor-General, John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, as a representative of the mercantile class.

In Nova Scotia, he primarily invested in mortgages and personal loans, although he was also invested in a coal mine in Pictou County, operated by an American company, and a British firm called the Acadia Iron Company.

This caused three members of the executive council to resign in protest, saying that Lieutenant Governor Lucius Cary was appointing too many Tory-aligned people.

In 1870 he resigned from the bank due to his poor health, as his eyesight was affected and he was unable to sign the banknotes.