William Ralph Meredith

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Grave marker

Sir William Ralph Meredith (31 March 1840 – 21 August 1923) was a politician in the Canadian province of Ontario. He was leader of the Ontario Conservatives from 1878 to 1894, and was elected Chancellor of the University of Toronto in 1900.

Although a Conservative, Meredith was considered radical by many Tories. He advocated universal male suffrage and legislation in favour of workers. He is considered to be the father of Ontario's Workers' compensation system.

An ardent federalist, Meredith was a strong supporter of Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald. In 1894, he was appointed to a judgeship, and in 1912 he became Chief Justice on the Supreme Court of Ontario.

He and his wife Mary Holmes are both interred at the St. James Cemetery in Toronto.

	Leaders of the Ontario PC Party
Macdonald \| Cameron \| Meredith \| Marter \| Whitney \| Hearst \| Ferguson \| Henry \| Rowe \| Drew \| Kennedy \| Frost \| Robarts \| Davis \| Miller \| Grossman \| Brandt \| Harris \| Eves \| Tory

External links

[Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online]

Preceded by:
Matthew Crooks Cameron

Ontario Conservative Leaders

Succeeded by:
George Frederick Marter

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