Richard Martin Meredith (27 March 1847 – 20 May 1934) was a co-founder and the first Chancellor of
The University of Western Ontario; vice-chancellor of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
; President of the High Court of the
Supreme Court of Ontario and
Chief Justice of the Ontario
Court of Common Pleas.
Family
Born at 565 Talbot Street,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, Canada West, he was one of the eight sons of
John Walsingham Cooke Meredith, a first cousin of Chief Justice Sir
William Collis Meredith,
Edmund Allen Meredith and
James Creed Meredith. He shared the same name as one of his great uncles (the father of 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
County Dublin
County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...
. His brothers, known as ''The Eight London Merediths'', included Chief Justice
William Ralph Meredith
Sir William Ralph Meredith, (March 31, 1840 – August 21, 1923) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge. He served as Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894, Chancellor of the Univers ...
,
Vincent Meredith,
Thomas Graves Meredith Q.C., and
Charles Meredith, first cousins of
Richard Edmund Meredith and Frederick Walsingham Meredith, President of the
Law Society of Ireland.
Legal career
Educated at Hellmuth Boys' College, London, he then proceeded to the
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...
, passing out in 1865. He served as an officer at
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...
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
A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
, until the Prime Minister,
John A. Macdonald appointed him a Judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Ontario in 1890, at
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. In the same year (1890), he was also elected to the vice chancellorship of
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, 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.
University of Western Ontario
Meredith was instrumental in the founding of
The University of Western Ontario, at his hometown of London. 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
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
to the home where he was born, on Talbot Street,
London, Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
. "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 (from ) is the study of the efficient production of the plants that produce showy, colorful flowers and foliage for human enjoyment in human environments. It is a commercially successful branch of horticulture and agriculture found ...
, 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 is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, 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
Sir William Ralph Meredith, (March 31, 1840 – August 21, 1923) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge. He served as Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894, Chancellor of the Univers ...
, hangs in
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The original -storey building was started in 1829 and finished in 1832 from a design by John Ewart (architect), John Ewart and William Warren Baldwin. The structure is n ...
, Toronto.
Arms
See also
Meredith Resigns as Chief Justice - Montreal Gazette, 30 September 1930Sir William Meredith May Be New Lieutenant-Governor - Rumors at Ottawa that R.M. Meredith will Succeed to Chief-JusticeshipMember of Family of Noted Brothers Dies - R.M. Meredith - Ottawa Citizen, 21 May 1934The Meredith Family
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meredith, Richard Martin
Canadian King's Counsel
Judges in Ontario
People from London, Ontario
1934 deaths
University of Western Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada alumni
1847 births