Evening star., 1928-06-18
EDWIN 7. MEREDITH
SUCCUMBS IN IOWA
Secretary of Agriculture in
Wilson Cabinet viii Be
Buried Wednesday.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
DES MONIES, Iowa. June l8.-Edwin
T. Meredith. Secretary of Agriculture in
the Wilson cabinet, died last night. The
end Of long illness came at o'clock
as Mr.. Meredith slept.
At the bedside of the 51-year-old
farm publisher and Democratic pre-
dental candidate were Mrs. Meredith. /.
his mother, Mrs. NJ. J. Meredith of Los
Angeles: son, a daughter, four broth
erS and sister.
Heart failure resulting from high
blood pressure was given rs the cause of
death. MFR. Meredith had been i'll for
several months, but the illness did not
take critical turn until O month ago.
shortly after he had returned from
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore,
where he had gone for observation.
Funeral on Wednesday.
Funeral services win be held from the
Meredith home Wednesday afternoon at
2 o'clock.
Despite his illness, Mr.. Meredith per-
mitted the use Of his name against Gov.
Al Smith of New York in the recent
Iowa Democratic presidential preference
primary, which Gov. Smith won. Mr.
Meredith always had been known as a
progressive dry" and he was an out
spoken opponent of the New York Gov
ernor'S views on prohibition
Besides his political activities. Mr..
Meredith was widely known as the pub
Usher OF farm papers. Three such pub
locations have their headquarters here.
He entered politics In 1914 as a Demo-
cratic candidate for United States Sen
ator from Iowa. He was defeated, as
he was two years later, when he was a
candidate for governor His entry into
politics followed a steady upward climb
in the business world.
Began as Dirt Farmer.
Starting as dirt farmer, the oc-
cupaticn Of his father and grandfather
ne entered the publishing business. His
stand on farm questions-he constantly
sought improvement of the farmers
conoitions-won him national attention.
President Wilson named Mr.. Meredith
to the cabinet in 1920 In the 1924
Democratic convention Mr.. Meredith's
name remained before the delegates to
the end On the i0ist ballot he re-
ceiyed $50 votes, ranking third to John
w. Davis and Oscar w. Underwood.
Edwin Thomas Meredith was born at
AVoca, Iowa, December %, 1876, the
son OF Thomas Oliver and Minnie Mi
nerva Marsh Meredith He married Miss
Edna G. Elliott of Des Moines in 1896.
They had two children.
Youth Bought Farm Paper.
Mr.. Meredith's grandfather, In addi-
ton to his agricultural interests, was
the publisher of a farm weekly, the
Farmers Tribune. 1t was devoted to
PopuliSm and met with financial diff
culties when that movement died out
Having completed year In High
land Park College. Des Moines. young
Meredith, then 90 years of age. bor-
rowed 1900. with which he purchased
his grandfather's publication. Through
SIX years It brought him much hard
work and little success. The Farmers
Tribune was discontinued and in its
place Mr.. Meredith established Sue
cessfui Farming as monthly periodical
That proved the foundation of the
successful Meredith Publications, the
name OF Mr.. Meredith's business, TO
which eventually were added Better
BONES and Gardens and the Dairy
Farmer, the three having a combined
100000
In 1917. William g. McAdoo. then
Secretary Of the Treasury, appointed
Mr. Meredith to the board OF excess
profits advisers. Two years later Presi-
dent Wilson named him a member of
the Industrial Conference Commission
ana In January, 1920, selected him for
the post OF Secretary of Agriculture
10 succeed David r. Houston.
Prominent In Advertising.
Mr. Meredith served as president of
the Associated Advertising Clubs of the
World in 1919. He was a director of
the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
from the establishment of the Federal
reserve System until his appointment
as Secretary Of Agriculture. He also
vas director Of the Audit Bureau of
Circulation and Of the United States
Chamber of Commerce.
Soon after the United States entered
the World War MIR. Meredith was ap-
pointed member of q labor commits
sion which visited Europe as guests
0! the British government The mem
Der OF the commission studied labor
conditions in Great Britain, France and
Italy and delivered many addresses TO
workers In Ghipyards and munition
plants, telling them OF the preparations
the United States was making for its
part in the war.
Mr.. Meredith was actively interested
IN club work for farm boys and girls.
He helped organize and for several years
was chairman Of the national commit
tee on farm boys and girls club work.