The Meekison Family

From The Toledo Blade, April 15, 1975, by Janet Kutzli. "Like father, like son; like husband, like wife; like father, like son; like mother, like daughter; like brother, like sister; like father, like son -- and so the Meekison family tree grows through four generaions with its roots deep into the profession of law.

Immigrants from Dundee, Scotland, the Meekisons settled in New York in 1855, later moving westward to Ohio and Henry County where they made their home in Napoleon.

David Meekison became the first attorney in the family in 1873, starting a family tradition which today totals 212 years of law practice among six Meekisons: David Meekison; his son, George; George's wife, Vadae; George and Vadae's children, David and Virginia, and David, Jr., son of the middle David.

The youngest David, who was the first of the Davids to receive a middle name, goes by David F., Jr., which helps distinguish him from his father, who is referred to as David, Sr., even though legally they are not junior and senior.

The eldest David died in 1915 after practicing law 42 years. He was elected as a Democratic representative to the 55th and 56th Congresses (1897-1901) and was delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1884.

He also served as mayor of Napoleon for seven years, from 1890-1897. A December 28, 1892, newspaper which hangs in the Meekison and Donovan law office in Napoleon displays a picture of David Meekison with a story telling about our popular

mayor serving his second term.

The front-page story, from the former Henry County News, read, “The morals of our city are better for his having been chosen to the office.”

Beside the framed newspaper is a picture of the middle David standing with President Harry Truman in 1952. Mr. Meekison, Sr., introduced Mr. Truman during a 'whistle stop' in Deshler, OH. The photo shows the two men on the presidential platform at the rear of the train.

Mr. Meekison said it was natural for him to become a lawyer since he grew up hearing talk of the law practice at the dinner table. He worked in his father's law office when he was in high school, attended Harvard University, and received his law degree from Ohio State University.

Shadowing his ancestor's political interests, Mr. Meekison, who is 61, served as chairman of the Henry County Democratic Central Committee from 1949 to 1973 and has been a member of the election board since 1950.

During World War II, while he was a 'desk attorney' for the navy, and his father, George, at the age of 61, enlisted in the Merchant Marines.

George, who is now 91, temporarily left his law practice in 1945 and decided to see some action. He had attempted to enlist in World War I, but was turned down because he was married and had two children.

Mr. Meekison said that his father always retorted that he was too young for the Spanish-American War, too old for World War I, but just right for World War II.

Shortly after enlisting, George sailed as a crew member on a Liberty ship carrying ammunitions to France. The ship was in a convoy which came under German submarine attack and five vessels were destroyed. His ship took a direct hit from a torpedo, but the torpedo did not explode.

His sense of adventure took him on a six-month wandering expedition throughout the country when he was a youngster. He ran away from home and during his journey was arrested for riding the rails in California.

After the war, George returned to Napoleon and resumed his law practice. During his practice, he argued cases in 82 county courthouses in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.

George's wife, Vadae, graduated from Valparaiso University Law School in 1903, one year before he got his law degree from the Indiana institution. Mrs. Meekison has been honored for her work as a pioneer woman lawyer. Both still live in Napoleon.

Mrs. Meekison became interested in law when she worked in a law office in Colorado, her son said. When she applied to various law schools, most said they would not admit women.

She was accepted into Valparaiso Law School and was the first woman graduate of the school to become a practicing attorney, and she was the first woman graduate to be elected to the Hall of Fame of the university's law school in 1956.

Mrs. Meekison, who is 91, has long been a champion of woman's sufferage, arguing that "women must eat, too."

Possibly her original interest in law stemmed from her great grandfather who served as the first judge of Marietta, OH. Her family's background, combined with her efforts in the American Red Cross unit in Henry County, won her the honor of christening the USS Henry County in October 19, 1919, in Lorain, Ohio.

Henry County had been selected as the name of an oil tanker by being the first county in the Fourth Federal Reserve district to subscribe its quota in the Fourth Liberty Loan drive.

Mrs. Meekison was an attorney for 41 years and at times managed the family law office alone.

George and Vadae's daughter, Virginia, was an attorney in the legal adviser's office of the State Department in Washington. She was admitted, after graduation from George Washington University law school, and retired in 1971. Since 1965, Virginia has lived in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington.

The youngest of the Meekison attorneys, David F., Jr. has been practicing in his father's firm as an associate attorney for three years.

The youngest Mr. Meekison said that he did not feel pressured through tradition to become a lawyer. At the time he decided to attend Notre Dame University law school, he said, he thought the profession held the greatest opportunities for making an impact on society through social changes.

David Meekison and Mary Frances Shaff, daughter of Elizabeth Keyes Shaff and Frank J. Shaff, were married in 1939. Besides the above mentioned David Francis, their middle child, they have two daughters, Maureen Meekison Houppert and Beth Ann Meekison.

Maureen Meekison obtained her B.A. in 1959 from the University of Michigan. She was married at Notre Dame University to Joseph W. Houppert in 1962. The latter obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit; his Ph.D. in English from the U. of Michigan. Dr. Houppert is an associate professor at the University of Maryland. The Houpperts live in College Park, Maryland, and have three children: Elizabeth, Anne, and David. Mrs. Houppert teaches English in Kensington, Maryland.

David F. Meekison, young attorney, attended Culver Naval School for three summers. Upon graduation, he returned to Culver to teach boxing and wrestling. It was at Culver Military Academy that he met Sally Bateson, whom he married in August, 1969. Sally and Dave were the first Culver Naval School graduates to marry. Prior to her marriage, Sally attended Hollins College in Virginia. While Dave attended Notre Dame law school, she attended St. Mary's College, Notre Dame and obtained her B.A. degree from there. Presently she is teaching kindergarten in Holgate, OH. In addition to law school, Dave also was the University of Notre Dame debate coach.

Launch of the USS Henry County

Beth Ann Meekison also attended Culver Military Academy. At the age of fifteen, she enrolled in courses at Bowling Green University. Upon graduation from Napoleon High School, she entered Denison University. As a freshman, she was elected Student Senator; as a Junior, Beth served as a student body representative to the faculty senate and their Academic Affairs Council, a position she will maintain again this year.

Mary Fran Shaff Meekison, mother of Maureen, David F., and Beth Ann, turned to feature article writing, as an avocation, after her marriage. She has had more than three dozen articles published nationally. Some were Catholic oriented; others appeared in The Toledo Blade, the Defiance-Crescent, the Chicago Tribune, and Parents' Magazine. In '1963 Mary Fran edited and wrote much of Napoleon's Centennial brochure, "Canal Days to Modern Ways." She compiled and wrote a portion of the history of Napoleon in this volume.

During the past decade, Mary Fran's interest has swung over to photography. Her work has been recognized with prizes, locally and across the country. Some of her pictures were published in a Notre Dame brochure entitled, "Failte." This pamphlet was written and edited by her son, David. Two of Mary Fran's photographs have been featured as calendar covers, which have been distributed throughout the United States in 1966 and 1975.

Submitted by Mary Fran Meekison