Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 4.djvu/370

 received a liberal education and when a young man taught school several terms in the south and in his native State. He removed to New Hampshire where he was elected to the Legislature in 1854, serving two sessions. In 1856 he came to Iowa, locating at McGregor, where he opened a general store. In 1859 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the House of the Eighth General Assembly. When the war began in 1861, Mr. Merrill took the contract to furnish three Iowa regiments with clothing before the Government could supply them with uniforms. In 1862 he was commissioned colonel of the Twenty-first Iowa Infantry. He was severely wounded at the Battle of Black River Bridge and was so disabled that he resigned his commission. In 1867 he was nominated by the Republican State Convention for Governor and elected, serving two terms. He removed to Des Moines and, after the close of his second term, engaged in the banking business. With others he established the Citizens' National Bank. He was active in bringing about the great reunion of Iowa soldiers at Des Moines in the summer of 1870. Governor Merrill was for many years an influential trustee of Iowa College at Grinnell. He acquired great wealth in banking and railroad building and finally removed to California. The last years of his life were spent in Pasadena, where he died on the 31st of August, 1899. His funeral was held at Dea Moines and was attended by many of the public officials and prominent men of the State. WILLIAM H. MERRITT was born in New York City, September 12, 1820. He received his education at Lima Seminary. In 1838 he went to Rock Island where he obtained a clerkship. He was sent to Ivanho in Linn County in 1839 to take charge of an Indian trading house. In 1841 he was a clerk in the Council of the Legislative Assembly at Burlington. In 1847 he removed to Dubuque and for two years was editor of the Miners' Express. He made the overland journey to California and returning in 1851 again became editor of the Miners' Express, having purchased an interest in the establishment. In 1855 he was appointed Register of the United States Land Office at Fort Dodge and after selling about 2,000,000 acres of public land, he engaged in banking at Cedar Rapids. When the Civil War began he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the First Regiment of Iowa Volunteers and participated in the Battle of Wilson's Creek, having served three months when the regiment was mustered out. In July, 1861, he was nominated by the Democratic State Convention for Governor but was defeated by Samuel J. Kirkwood. In 1863 he removed to Des Moines and took editorial charge of The Statesman, a leading Democratic newspaper. In 1866 he was appointed by President Johnson Collector of Internal Revenue but his nomination was rejected by the Senate. Colonel Merritt died on the 23d of July, 1891.