William Ralph Meredith

Sir William Ralph Meredith (1840-1923) 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 too 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 which assists workers who have been injured on the job .

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 Ontario Supreme Court.