Edward Eleazer Merritt (February 3, 1845August 3, 1895) was an American newspaper publisher and Republican politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

and Jackson counties during the 1873 session.

Biography

Edward Merritt was born in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

, in February 1845. As a child, he came to Wisconsin with his parents in 1850. He came to Sparta, Wisconsin, in 1859 and learned the typography trade while working at the Sparta ''Herald''. He then went to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, where he worked as a printer. While living in La Crosse in 1864, he answered President Lincoln's call for "100-day volunteers" for the Union Army to finish the American Civil War. He served as a private in Company G of the

40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 40th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as Hundred Days Men, an effort to augment ...

. The 40th Wisconsin Infantry was sent to Memphis, Tennessee, to guard railroad and supply lines. While there, Memphis came under attack in a raid by Confederate cavalry in what's known as the

Second Battle of Memphis The Second Battle of Memphis was a battle of the American Civil War occurring on August 21, 1864, in Shelby County, Tennessee. Battle At 4:00 a.m. on August 21, 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest made a daring raid on Union-held M ...

. The 40th responded to the raid, chasing the cavalry from the city. They pursued the rebels after they fled, but did not catch them. The regiment expired at the end of its 100-day enlistment and returned to Wisconsin in September. After the war, Merritt returned to La Crosse, but moved to

Neillsville, Wisconsin Neillsville is a city in Clark County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,384 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat. History The Ojibwa were the earliest known residents of the Neillsville area. The first settlers of Europe ...

, in Clark County, in 1867. He started the Clark County ''Journal'' with J. S. Dore, working as associate editor, but left after a few months and moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

. He returned to Neillsville in the fall of that year, where he started another newspaper, the Clark County ''Republican''. He operated the ''Republican'' until 1874, when he sold to Charles J. Cooper. From 1869 to 1872, he served as a deputy United States marshal. In 1872, he won his only term in the legislature, running on the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

ticket. He served in the

26th Wisconsin Legislature The Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly members were elected to ...

and his district comprised all of Clark and Jackson counties. He did not run for re-election in 1873.

Personal life and family

Edward Merritt married Martha Ann Williams and had at least three children. Merritt died at Greensburg, Indiana, in August 1895.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Edward E. 1845 births 1895 deaths People from Burlington, Vermont People from Neillsville, Wisconsin People from La Crosse, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers American newspaper publishers (people) Burials in Iowa