William Lawson (1772 – 25 August 1848) was a Nova Scotian businessman, office holder, justice of the peace, and politician.

[2] As a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, he introduced a bill chartering a public bank.

This clause was an innovation in British North America, and came at a time when most banks limited liability to the value of a shareholder's stock.

As a means of building trust and ensuring the savings of depositors, the concept provided stability to the fledgling bank which prospered and spread quickly from its inception in the Merchants' Coffee House, Halifax to become an international financial institution.

The house was sold by Lawson's heirs in 1856 to John Esson, and the land now comprises part of the site of Maritime Centre, in downtown Halifax.