William Matthew MERRICK, Congress, MD (1818-1889)

MERRICK, William Matthew, (son of William Duhurst Merrick), a Representative from Maryland; born near Faulkner, Charles County, Md., September 1, 1818; was graduated from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., in 1831; studied law at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville; was admitted to the bar in Baltimore in 1839 and commenced practice in Frederick, Md., in 1844; deputy attorney general for Frederick County 1845-1850; moved to Washington, D.C., in 1854; associate justice of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia 1854-1863; resumed the practice of law in Maryland; professor of law at Columbian College (now George Washington University), Washington, D.C., in 1866 and 1867; delegate to the State constitutional convention of 1867; member of the State house of delegates in 1870; elected as a Democrat to the Forty-second Congress (March 4, 1871-March 3, 1873); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1872 to the Forty-third Congress; resumed the practice of law; associate judge of the supreme court of the District of Columbia by appointment of President Cleveland 1885-1889; died in Washington, D.C., February 4, 1889; interment in Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Source: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1771-Present