Richard Martin Meredith
Encyclopedia
Chief Justice The Hon. Richard Martin Meredith Q.C. (March 27, 1847-May 20, 1934) was a founder of The University of Western Ontario; vice-chancellor of Ontario
; President of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Ontario and Chief Justice
of the Court of Common Pleas
.
, he was one of the eight distinguished sons of John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
, a first cousin of Chief Justice Sir William Collis Meredith
and Edmund Allen Meredith
. His brothers, known as The Eight London Merediths, included Chief Justice Sir William Ralph Meredith
, Sir Vincent Meredith
, Thomas Graves Meredith
Q.C., and Charles Meredith, first cousins of The Rt. Hon. Richard Edmund Meredith
and Frederick Walsingham Meredith, President of the Law Society of Ireland
. He shared the same name as one of his great uncles (the grandfather of Judge James Creed Meredith
), who was named for Richard Martin, a contemporary of Meredith's great grandfather, Ralph Meredith (1748–1799), Attorney Exchequer and Justice of the Peace
for Co. Dublin.
, passing out in 1865. He served as an officer at Windsor, Ontario
during the Fenian raids
, earning a medal. Following this he entered his brother William's legal offices and was called to the Bar in 1869. Specializing in chancery and equity law, he went into practice with another brother, Edmund Meredith (1845–1921) Q.C., a well-known criminal barrister, forming the London-based firm of Meredith & Meredith, subsequently Meredith, Judd & Meredith. He continued his career in London, during which time he took silk as a Queen's Counsel
, until the Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald appointed him a Judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Ontario in 1890, at Toronto
. In the same year (1890), he was also elected to the vice chancellorship of Ontario
, a position he held until 1905. From 1905 to 1912, he was President of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Ontario. In 1905, he also served as a Judge at the Court of Appeal, where his frequent disagreements with his brothers William and Edmund earned him the nickname 'the dissenting judge'. In 1912, he succeeded his elder brother, William, as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
, his final judicial post, retiring in 1930. He was sometime a director of the Ontario Investment Association.
. He served as the first Chancellor (1912–1916) of the university and was Chairman of the Board of Governors between 1908 and 1914. He established the R.M. Meredith Society, still in operation today, to help fund under-privileged students.
to the home where he was born, on Talbot Street, London, Ontario
. "A noted athlete in his youth, he preserved in his erect bearing and brisk step, great physical vigour and athletic energy, even after he had reached an advanced age." Like many of his brothers he had a great love of flowers and floriculture
, and was at his happiest whiling away the hours in his extensive gardens on the Meredith's London estate. His obituary read,
Chief Justice Meredith had a certain self-assurance and impatience with intellects less able than his own that sometimes brought him into sharp conflict with judicial colleagues, but he had a profound knowledge of law, and his ability and fairness earned him the respect of the Ontario Bar... (Out of court) his disposition was very kindly and friendly, and he was at all times a gentleman. In court he required the most rigorous etiquette, but his strict fairness and careful attention to details made him respected by all members of the Bar.
In his earlier days he was a well-known figure in Toronto society, but on returning to London he lived in almost complete retirement. In 1901, he presented a chime of ten bells, cast in England
, and the clock on the clocktower to St. Paul's Cathedral (London, Ontario) in memory of his parents. He was the best man at the wedding of his brother, Sir Vincent Meredith
in 1888. He was unmarried, and died at the home his father had built in the early 1840s, and where he was born. He is buried at the Meredith plot in Woodland Cemetery, London. He left an estate of $235,598, having given much away to charitable causes during his lifetime. His portrait, and that of his brother Sir William Ralph Meredith
, hangs in Osgoode Hall
, Toronto.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
; President of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Ontario and Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas may refer to several different courts:England and Wales and Ireland:* Court of Common Pleas * Court of Common Pleas...
.
Family
Born at 565 Talbot Street, London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, he was one of the eight distinguished sons of John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith J.P., an Anglo-Irish-Canadian office holder and businessman, best remembered as the father of the Eight London Merediths.-Background:...
, a first cousin of Chief Justice Sir William Collis Meredith
William Collis Meredith
The Hon. Sir William Collis Meredith, Kt., Q.C., D.C.L. was Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec.-Early life:...
and Edmund Allen Meredith
Edmund Allen Meredith
Edmund Allen Meredith LL.D., was Under Secretary of State for Canada; a prison reformer, writer, and the third principal of McGill University from 1846 to 1853.-Early life in Ireland:...
. His brothers, known as The Eight London Merediths, included Chief Justice Sir William Ralph Meredith
William Ralph Meredith
The Hon. Sir William Ralph Meredith, Q.C., LL.D. was Leader of the Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894; Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1900 until his death, and Chief Justice of Ontario from 1913 until his death...
, Sir Vincent Meredith
Vincent Meredith
Sir Vincent Meredith, 1st and last Baronet of Montreal , was a Canadian banker and philanthropist; President of the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts...
, Thomas Graves Meredith
Thomas Graves Meredith
Thomas Graves Meredith K.C. , Canadian lawyer and businessman; President of Canada Life Assurance and President of the Middlesex Bar Association...
Q.C., and Charles Meredith, first cousins of The Rt. Hon. Richard Edmund Meredith
Richard Edmund Meredith
The Rt. Hon. Richard Edmund Meredith PC, QC , was the Master of the Rolls in Ireland, a Privy Councillor, Judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland and Judicial Commissioner of the Irish Land Commission.-Career:...
and Frederick Walsingham Meredith, President of the Law Society of Ireland
Law Society of Ireland
The Law Society of Ireland is the educational, representative and regulatory body of the solicitors' profession in the Republic of Ireland...
. He shared the same name as one of his great uncles (the grandfather of Judge James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith
James Creed Meredith K.C., LL.D. was an Irish nationalist of the early 20th century, who upheld Brehon Law. He was President of the Supreme Court of the Irish Republic, Chief Judicial Commissioner of Ireland and a Judge of the High Court and the Supreme Court of Ireland...
), who was named for Richard Martin, a contemporary of Meredith's great grandfather, Ralph Meredith (1748–1799), Attorney Exchequer and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Co. Dublin.
Legal Career
Educated at Hellmuth Boy's College, London, he then proceeded to the Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, passing out in 1865. He served as an officer at Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
during the Fenian raids
Fenian raids
Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...
, earning a medal. Following this he entered his brother William's legal offices and was called to the Bar in 1869. Specializing in chancery and equity law, he went into practice with another brother, Edmund Meredith (1845–1921) Q.C., a well-known criminal barrister, forming the London-based firm of Meredith & Meredith, subsequently Meredith, Judd & Meredith. He continued his career in London, during which time he took silk as a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
, until the Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald appointed him a Judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Ontario in 1890, at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. In the same year (1890), he was also elected to the vice chancellorship of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, a position he held until 1905. From 1905 to 1912, he was President of the High Court of the Supreme Court of Ontario. In 1905, he also served as a Judge at the Court of Appeal, where his frequent disagreements with his brothers William and Edmund earned him the nickname 'the dissenting judge'. In 1912, he succeeded his elder brother, William, as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas
Court of Common Pleas may refer to several different courts:England and Wales and Ireland:* Court of Common Pleas * Court of Common Pleas...
, his final judicial post, retiring in 1930. He was sometime a director of the Ontario Investment Association.
University of Western Ontario
Meredith was instrumental in the founding of The University of Western Ontario, at his hometown of London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. He served as the first Chancellor (1912–1916) of the university and was Chairman of the Board of Governors between 1908 and 1914. He established the R.M. Meredith Society, still in operation today, to help fund under-privileged students.
Personality
He retired from the Bench at the age of 83, and moved back from TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to the home where he was born, on Talbot Street, London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. "A noted athlete in his youth, he preserved in his erect bearing and brisk step, great physical vigour and athletic energy, even after he had reached an advanced age." Like many of his brothers he had a great love of flowers and floriculture
Floriculture
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry...
, and was at his happiest whiling away the hours in his extensive gardens on the Meredith's London estate. His obituary read,
Chief Justice Meredith had a certain self-assurance and impatience with intellects less able than his own that sometimes brought him into sharp conflict with judicial colleagues, but he had a profound knowledge of law, and his ability and fairness earned him the respect of the Ontario Bar... (Out of court) his disposition was very kindly and friendly, and he was at all times a gentleman. In court he required the most rigorous etiquette, but his strict fairness and careful attention to details made him respected by all members of the Bar.
In his earlier days he was a well-known figure in Toronto society, but on returning to London he lived in almost complete retirement. In 1901, he presented a chime of ten bells, cast in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and the clock on the clocktower to St. Paul's Cathedral (London, Ontario) in memory of his parents. He was the best man at the wedding of his brother, Sir Vincent Meredith
Vincent Meredith
Sir Vincent Meredith, 1st and last Baronet of Montreal , was a Canadian banker and philanthropist; President of the Bank of Montreal, the Royal Victoria Hospital, Montreal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts...
in 1888. He was unmarried, and died at the home his father had built in the early 1840s, and where he was born. He is buried at the Meredith plot in Woodland Cemetery, London. He left an estate of $235,598, having given much away to charitable causes during his lifetime. His portrait, and that of his brother Sir William Ralph Meredith
William Ralph Meredith
The Hon. Sir William Ralph Meredith, Q.C., LL.D. was Leader of the Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894; Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1900 until his death, and Chief Justice of Ontario from 1913 until his death...
, hangs in Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
, Toronto.
External links
- R.M. Meredith, Western Libraries
- Meredith's letter for the foundation of the University of Western Ontario
See also
- Meredith Resigns as Chief Justice - Montreal Gazette, 30th September, 1930
- Sir William Meredith May Be New Lieutenant-Governor - Rumors at Ottawa that R.M. Meredith will Succeed to Chief-Justiceship
- Member of Family of Noted Brothers Dies - R.M. Meredith - Ottawa Citizen, 21st May, 1934
- The Meredith Family