Peter Meldrim
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Peter Wiltberger Meldrim (December 4, 1848 − December 13, 1933) was an attorney, politician, judge and an army officer from
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, United States. Early in his career, he worked to expand African Americans' access to education as chairman of the Georgia State Commission on the Education of Colored Persons. He served as an alderman and was elected Mayor of Savannah, Georgia in the late 1890s. In 1908, he was the chairman of the Georgia delegation to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
. Meldrim was a highly regarded attorney known for his handling of complex cases and oratory who served as a commissioner from Georgia on the
Uniform Law Commission The Uniform Law Commission (ULC), also called the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, is a non-profit, American unincorporated association. Established in 1892, the ULC aims to provide U.S. states (plus the District of Co ...
which worked to enact uniform state laws nationally. Meldrim also presented addresses on law to various state and national bar associations, served as president of the Georgia State Bar in 1904, and became chairman of the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
Committee on Jurisprudence and Law Reform. In addition, he also served as the Association's president. His home for many years in later life was the Green-Meldrim House, a U.S. National Historic Landmark.


Early life

He was born in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
, on December 4, 1848; his parents were Ralph M. Meldrim and Jane Fawcett Meldrim. He had Irish heritage and was president of the local ''Hibernian Society'' from 1887 to 1912. At age 16, he fought in the defense of Savannah against Sherman's March to the Sea. He was privately tutored, attended Chatham Academy, then attended the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
, Class of 1868, where he was elected a member of
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
,
Phi Kappa Literary Society The Phi Kappa Literary Society is a College literary societies (American), college literary society, located at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and is one of the few active literary societies left in America. Originally founded in ...
, and was a charter member of the Eta chapter of
Chi Phi Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was forme ...
fraternity. He was the Phi Beta Kappa anniversary orator. In 1869, Meldrim obtained an LL.B, then in 1871 earned an M.A., also from the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
. He awarded an honorary LL.D. from the university in 1913. He married his wife, Frances P. Casey, in 1881. Meldrim became a colonel of the
1st Georgia Cavalry The 1st Georgia Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment in the Confederate States Army, during the American Civil War. It fought from 1862 to 1865, and mostly served in the Army of Tennessee. Service In late 1861 the 1st Georgia Cavalry assemb ...
and later a brigadier general in the
Georgia National Guard The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the United States, National Guard of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, and consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. (The Georgia State Defe ...
.


Political and professional career

Meldrim was chairman of the Georgia State Commission on the Education of Colored Persons from its inception in 1891, and worked to expand African Americans' access to education.


Georgia State Senate

In 1881, General Meldrim was elected to the
Georgia State Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...
. In 1891, he was elected as an alderman of the city of Savannah, Georgia, and he ran for
Mayor of Savannah The mayor is the highest elected official in Savannah, Georgia. Since its incorporation in 1789, the city has had 67 mayors. On May 27, 1958, the term for mayor was extended from two years to four years by popular vote and with approval of the st ...
in 1897, defeating
incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...
Herman Myers Herman Myers (January 18, 1847 – March 24, 1909) was a politician from Georgia, United States and a Mayor of Savannah. He was a Democrat. Background He was a Jewish German-born immigrant and was born in Bavaria in 1847. His family moved to ...
. Two years later, though, he declined to run for re-election and Myers became mayor again. In 1908, he was the chairman of the Georgia delegation to the
Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...
held in
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.


Legal career

Meldrim was a highly regarded attorney, known for his handling of complex cases and oratory. He served as a commissioner from Georgia on the
Uniform Law Commission The Uniform Law Commission (ULC), also called the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, is a non-profit, American unincorporated association. Established in 1892, the ULC aims to provide U.S. states (plus the District of Co ...
, which works to enact uniform state laws nationally. He presented addresses on law to various state and national bar associations, and he served as president of the Georgia State Bar in 190

Meldrim became chairman of the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary association, voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students in the United States; national in scope, it is not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878, the ABA's stated acti ...
Committee on Jurisprudence and Law Reform, then the Association's president in 1915. From 1917 to 1933, he was a superior court judge with the Savannah-based Eastern Judicial Circuit.


Death

General Meldrim died on December 13, 1933 at his home, the historic Green-Meldrim House, where he had resided since 1892. At the time of his death, he was still a superior court judge, president of the Georgia State Agricultural Society, a member of assorted social and civic clubs including the
Capital City Club The Capital City Club is a private social club located in Atlanta, Georgia. Chartered on May 21, 1883, it is one of the oldest private clubs in the South. History According to its charter, the purpose of the club is "to promote the pleasure, ki ...
, and a trustee of the
University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...
. Decades later,
New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...
Justice Matthew M. Levy cited Meldrim as the one who first sparked his interest in the law.


Footnotes


External links


Official Website of the Mayor of Savannah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meldrim, Peter 1848 births 1933 deaths American people of Irish descent Mayors of Savannah, Georgia Presidents of the American Bar Association Georgia National Guard personnel Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Superior court judges in the United States