Peter Meldrim

Peter Wiltberger Meldrim (December 4, 1848 − December 13, 1933) was an attorney, politician, judge and an army officer from Georgia, 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. 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 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 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, on December 4, 1848; his parents were Ralph M. Meldrim and Jane Fawcett Meldrim. He married his wife, Frances P. Casey, in 1881.

Death The historic Green-Meldrim House in Savannah, Georgia. Meldrim lived there for many years in later life. 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, and a trustee of the University of Georgia.

Decades later, New York Supreme Court Justice Matthew M. Levy cited Meldrim as the one who first sparked his interest in the law.

Footnotes