Edwin Albert Merritt (July 25, 1860 – December 4, 1914) was an American politician from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
.
Life
He was born on July 25, 1860, in
Pierrepont,
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505.
The county seat is Canton.
The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Christian saint La ...
, the son of
Edwin Atkins Merritt (1828–1916), and was known all his life as Edwin A. Merritt, Jr. although father and son had different middle names.
Merritt Jr. graduated from
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...
in 1884. While at Yale, he was prominent among the undergraduate founders of the
Wolf's Head Society
Wolf's Head Society is a senior society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies at Yale, along with Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key. Active undergraduate membership is elected annual ...
, established in 1883 as ''The Third Society'' by the Phelps Trust Association. The society was founded with the aid of over 300 Yale alumni, including
James Smith Bush,
Charles Phelps Taft
Charles Phelps Taft (December 21, 1843 – December 31, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician who served as editor of the ''Cincinnati Times-Star'' and owned both the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs baseball teams. From 1895 to 1897 ...
,
Charles W. Harkness and
William L. Harkness
William Lamon Harkness (August 8, 1858 – May 10, 1919) was an American businessman and inheritor of a large share of Standard Oil.
Early life
William Lamon Harkness was born in Bellevue, Ohio, the son of Daniel M. Harkness, who was the half-br ...
.
Merritt was a member of the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Ass ...
(St. Lawrence Co., 2nd D.) in
1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world' ...
,
1903
Events January
* January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India.
* January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having bee ...
,
1904
Events
January
* January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''.
* January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...
,
1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...
,
1906
Events
January–February
* January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...
,
1907,
1908,
1909
Events
January–February
* January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes.
* January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama.
* Januar ...
,
1910,
1911
A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
and
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6 ...
; and was Majority Leader from 1908 to 1910, Minority Leader in 1911, and
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
in 1912.
He was an alternate delegate to the
1908 Republican National Convention, and a delegate to the
1912 Republican National Convention.
He was elected to the
62nd United States Congress
The 62nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1911, to M ...
, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
George R. Malby
George Roland Malby (September 16, 1857 in Canton, St. Lawrence County, New York – July 5, 1912 in New York City) was an American politician from New York. He was Speaker of the New York State Assembly in 1894, and served three terms in C ...
, and was elected at the same time to the
63rd United States Congress
The 63rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1913, to ...
, holding office from November 5, 1912, until his death on December 4, 1914, in
Potsdam, New York
Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...
. He was buried at Pierrepont Hill Cemetery in Pierrepont, N.Y.
See also
*
Sources
Edwin A. Merritt, late a representative from New York, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1915
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Edwin Albert
1860 births
1914 deaths
Yale University alumni
Speakers of the New York State Assembly
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
19th-century American politicians