David Sutton Meredith, Jr.

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. David Sutton Meredith, Jr. came into this world in Longview on July 22, 1902, and from the very start, this town and this man were going to be hard to separate. He went off to the University of Texas, got his education, and came right back home to hang out a shingle.

By 1926 he was practicing law in Longview, and that same year, the people of Gregg County elected him county judge. Same year. The ink on his law practice was barely dry.

He served that term, then stepped into the county attorney's office, where he stayed from 1928 to 1932. The man was not one for sitting still. After a stretch in private practice, 1935 brought him back into the public arena, this time appointed as special district judge of Gregg County.

And what was he doing in that role? Prosecuting hot oil production violations. Now if you know anything about East Texas in the 1930s, you know that oil country had a wild streak, and hot oil, oil produced over the legal limit set by regulators, was a serious matter.

Meredith was the one pressing the case. Then the war came. He volunteered for the military during World War II, and if you thought that was enough service for one man, think again, because he served again from 1952 to 1954.

After that, he took on the role of Texas Assistant Attorney General, serving from 1955 to 1957, before returning, one last time, to private legal practice. David Sutton Meredith, Jr. died on January 21, 1958, in the same county where he was born, where he had served as judge, as attorney, as prosecutor, and as soldier. Longview shaped him, and he spent a lifetime shaping it right back.

What the marker says

David Sutton Meredith, Jr. was born in Longview on July 22, 1902. After graduating from the University of tTxas, he began practicing law in Longview in 1926. That same year, he was elected county judge of Gregg County. He served one term and then served as county attorney from 1928 to 1932. After practicing law in the private sector, Meredith was appointed special district judge of Gregg County in 1935 where he prosecuted hot oil production violations. He volunteered for the military during WWII and served again in 1952-1954. He worked as Texas Assistant Attorney General from 1955-1957 before returning to a private legal practice. He died on January 21, 1958.