William Duhurst Merrick (October 25, 1793February 5, 1857) was a

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, serving from 1838 to 1845. Merrick was born in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

and completed preparatory studies. He later graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Merrick held several local offices and served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He was the

register of wills Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Wash ...

from 1825 to 1832. He studied law, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

, and commenced practice in

Port Tobacco, Maryland Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

. From 1832 to 1838, Merrick served in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

. He was elected as a Whig to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Joseph Kent Joseph Kent (January 14, 1779November 24, 1837), a Whig, was a United States Senator from Maryland, serving from 1833 until his death in 1837. He also served in the House of Representatives, serving the second district of Maryland from 1811 to ...

. He was reelected in 1839 and served from January 4, 1838, to March 3, 1845. In the Senate, Kent served as chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia ( Twenty-sixth and Twenty-seventh Congresses), as a member of the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads (Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Congresses). After his service in the Senate, Merrick served as a member of the State constitutional convention in 1850. He was again elected to the House of Delegates, and served from January 1856 until his death in

Merrick was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery, then reinterred in the cemetery at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Newport. His sons,

William Matthews Merrick William Matthews Merrick (September 1, 1818 – February 4, 1889) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia, a United States representative from Maryland and an associate justice of the Supr ...

and

Richard T. Merrick Richard Thomas Merrick (January 28, 1828 – June 23, 1885) was a lawyer and Democratic political figure. Born in Charles County, Maryland, Merrick was the son of William D. Merrick, a member of the Maryland legislature and the United States ...

, were also prominent attorneys. William Matthews, the first American-born Catholic priest, was his brother-in-law.

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1793 births 1857 deaths Politicians from Annapolis, Maryland Whig Party United States senators from Maryland Maryland Whigs Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Maryland lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Georgetown University alumni American military personnel of the War of 1812 {{Maryland-politician-stub