Evening journal., 1913-04-08
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Chance Meeting That
Led TO a Distinguished
Career
BY HalIand

81 suppose I have been asked a
dozen times whether knew who
William M. Meredith was said the
late George NJ Robson. who was
Secretary Of the Navy in President
Grants second administration and
who afterward represented the CAM
den, n. j.. district for two terms in
the lower House of Congress. When
Mr. Robson said this to me In 1882,
he took from his pocketbook a govern
ment note of the denomination, If /
remember correctly, of ten dollars. In
the lower left-hand corner was a
steel engraving of a head, under
which, in very FAINT letters. were the
words william M. Meredith"
80 soon are men in public life for
gotten" continued Mr.. Robson. 81
presume there are not a hundred per-
sons now living in the United States
who ever heard of William M. Mere
dith or, il they ever did, have forgot
ten the circumstance.
ut was my good fortune to know,
and at one time intimately. William
NJ. Meredith. He was Secretary Of
the Treasury in the administration Of
President Zachary Taylor When
Willard Fillmore succeeded to the
Presidency at the death of President
Taylor he accepted Mr.. Meredith's re-
signation. Afterward Mr.. Meredith
gained a high position at the Phila-
delphia bar and it was in part on my
suggestion that President Grant ap-
pointed him one Of the counsel to rep
resent the United States before the
L.. LOT f.sfI MI fah
I'm Geneva, Switzerland, shortly
after President Grants second admin
istration began.
"A very remarkable incident prov
ed to be the turning point in Mr..
Meredith's career. II was one Of
those chance opportunities which, be-
ing accepted, make a great career
possible
"Mr. Meredith was admitted to the
bar in Philadelphia when he was just
81 years of age; that was in 1920. He
looked forward eagerly to practice,
but, as he once told me, he was such
a stripping, and looked so greatly like
a boy still I'm his teens. that nobody
would give him any business. He sat
in his Office for five years, hoping
every day that his first client would
appear. but not one came Although
through family influence he was elect
ed TO the Pennsylvania Legislature
when he was about 20 years OF age,
even that publicity did not help him
secure any practice.
i"Day after day and year after year
for nearly 10 years he sat In an empty
law Office with no other companions
than his books; he had made up his
mind that he would stick to the law
even though he never had a client.
Then. one morning by purest chance,
he met a friend who had something
TO do as an executor or administrator
with the great estate of stephen
Girard An attempt was being made
10 break the Girard Will. This friend
asked Meredith if he knew anything
about probate law. Meredith replied
that he had no mare than a general
knowledge of It,
~Well,' said the friend. III YOU ca
read up on Il for a couple OF weeks,
and are willing TO take a very subor-
dinate position among the counsel re-
tanned by the Girard administrators,
/ think I can find you an opening.
"lt will be gratefully accepted,
said Meredith And am extremely
I fortunate Nndl nl lnt putHal tHduNt
I met you this morning
"Truc to his word, the friend saw
/ to Il that Meredith was taken as a
/ junior counsel into the case. The as
ISOLATION with the contest, a famous
one of its time. gave him needed au-
vertisement and the able manner IN
which he handled his part Of the case
minor. though il was attracted lega
] IA. 4
the day of his death he never wanted
for clients and for years he oarnef
as large fees as any lawyer in Phil
adelphia. His practice was only in
terrupted by two years of service ~
Secretary of the Treasury"
| lnnnrrirht 1n1n nv n EdMarhe