The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Meredith, Edwin Thomas
18761928, American publisher and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (192021), b. Avoca, Iowa. After 1896 he owned and edited the Farmers Tribune, founded (1902) Successful Farming, and started (1922) the magazine that became Better Homes and Gardens. An unsuccessful Democratic candidate for public office, Meredith was appointed to several government posts before he entered President Wilsons cabinet.