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History of the Treasury
Secretaries of the Treasury
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William M. Meredith
(1849 - 1850)
President Zachary Taylor, wanting a Pennsylvanian Whig
for his cabinet, appointed William M. Meredith (1799-1873) Secretary of
the Treasury. Meredith strongly opposed the free-trade legislation passed
the year before under his predecessor,  Robert J. Walker. He felt that there was a
need to protect the American workman, who was subject to competition from
poorly paid European labor. Meredith's principal contribution in office
was his Annual Report of 1849 in which he set forth an elaborate argument
for a protective tariff.
The increase in the public debt due to the recent
war with Mexico (1846-1848) and the acquisition of California gave Meredith
additional argument for raising revenue through higher import duties,
but no action was taken on the tariff during Meredith's term. He also
recommended a revision of the Coast Survey Code, which had not been changed
since its implementation in 1806, because the Coast Survey had seen great
expansion and improvement with the introduction of steam powered ships.
Meredith resigned with the rest of the cabinet upon Taylor's death in
1850.
About the Artist
Born in Millersburg, Ohio in 1842, S. Jerome Uhl
traveled to Paris to study art with Augusta Emile, Carolus Duran, and
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. His works attracted wide attention when he
exhibited at the Paris Salons of the 1880's. Returning to Springfield,
Ohio, Uhl became a popular portrait painter, and he is represented in
many private and public collections throughout the state. In the early
1890's he opened a studio in Washington, D.C. where he painted many notables.
Uhl was a member of the Society of Washington Artists and the Washington
Water Color Club. His portrait of William M. Meredith, painted in 1893,
is based on a Matthew Brady daguerreotype.
Office of the Curator
All rights reserved. 2001
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