Biography.guide
Home › People › Jurist › William Campbell James Meredith
Portrait of William Campbell James Meredith

William Campbell James Meredith

1904 – 1960

Canadian lawyer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About William Campbell James Meredith

Lived 1904 – 1960 (aged 55–56). William Campbell James Meredith was a Canadian jurist.

William Campbell James Meredith (1904–1960), often referred to as W. C. J. Meredith, was a Canadian lawyer, the author of three legal texts, and Dean of the McGill University Faculty of Law (1950–1960). In 1951, he was noted for the prescient hiring of John Cobb Cooper to head up the new department he created, McGill's Institute of Air Space Law.

Meredith was born on February 6, 1904, in Montreal, Quebec, the only son of Frederick Edmund Meredith and Anne Madeleine VanKoughnet. The jurist William Collis Meredith was his grandfather. He was educated in England at Summer Fields School; Wellington College, Berkshire; and, Trinity College, Cambridge. He also studied for a year at the University of Grenoble in France. Considered an expert in litigation, he became a senior partner in his father's law firm and was made a King's Counsel in 1942. He was selected by the government to be the special federal prosecutor at the trial of Fred Rose. He was governor of Selwyn House School and Bishop's University. In 1950, John Wilson McConnell, Governor of McGill University, persuaded him to take up the position of Dean at Law at McGill. He held this position until his death.

In 1935, he married Marie-Berthe-Louise-Francoise Martin. They were the parents of one son, but divorced 14 November 1949, by a private act of Parliament (13 Geo. VI. c. 154). Privately, he was an amateur radio enthusiast who enjoyed tennis and skiing and had in his early years been a member of the Montreal Hunt. He died in 1960 in Montreal, and is buried at Mount Royal Cemetery. The Meredith Memorial Lectures at McGill University are named in his memory.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Died
1960, Montreal
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Trinity College
Positions held
King's Counsel
Employers
McGill University
Also known as
W. C. J. Meredith

People in William Campbell James Meredith's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Campbell James Meredith's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Campbell James Meredith?

Canadian lawyer (1904–1960)

When was William Campbell James Meredith born?

William Campbell James Meredith was born on 6 February 1904 in Montreal.

When did William Campbell James Meredith die?

William Campbell James Meredith died in 1960 in Montreal.

What was William Campbell James Meredith's occupation?

William Campbell James Meredith was a jurist.

What nationality was William Campbell James Meredith?

William Campbell James Meredith was Canadian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Campbell James Meredith

· Wikidata: Q8006506

· DBpedia: W. C. J. Meredith

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Campbell James Meredith. https://biography.guide/william-campbell-james-meredith/

MLA: "William Campbell James Meredith." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-campbell-james-meredith/.

Chicago: "William Campbell James Meredith." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-campbell-james-meredith/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:32 UTC