Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/372

 MERRIAM

MERRICK

tenant, 3d U.S. artillery, serving on Gen. Charles King's statf in the Philippines and with his battery in China, 1900. He was promoted 1st lieutenant Feb. 2, 1901, after which be served with hia battery in the Philippines. General Merriam is the author of several essays on military subjects. MERRIAM, William Rush, governor of Min- nesota, WHS born at Wadhaiiis Mills, Essex county, N.Y., July 26, 1849 ; son of John L. and Mahala (Delano) Merriam ; grandson of William S. Merriam, and a descendant of Joseph Merriam, Concord, Mass., 1636. John L. Merriam removed to St. Paul, Minn., in 1861, and the son was graduated at Racine col- lege, Wis., in 1870. Return- ing to St. Paul, he was a clerk in the First national bank, 18- 71-72 ; cashier of the Mer- chants national bank, 1872-81, its vice-president, 1881-82, and president from 1882. He was married, in 1872, to Laura, daughter of John Hancock, of Philadelphia, Pa. He was a Republican represen- tative in the Minnesota legislature in 1882, and in 1886, when he was speaker of the house. He served as treasurer of the board of education of St. Paul, 1887-88, as a member of the St. Paul Cham- ber of Commerce, 1888, and was vice-president of the State Agricultural association, 1886-87,and its president, 1888. He was governor of Minne- sota for two terms, 1889-92, and was appointed by President McKinley director of the twelfth census.* March 4, 1899.

MERRICK, Caroline Elizabeth, author, was born in •' Cottage Hall," East Feliciana, La., Nov. 24, 1825 ; daughter of Capt. David and Elizabeth (Patillo) Thomas. Her father was a native of Edgefield district, S.C, and the Patil-

los were Virginians. Captain Thomas serv- ed in the war of 1812, removed to Louisia- na, where he was a wealthy planter, and afforded his daughter an excellent educa- tion. In 1840 she was married to Edwin T. Merrick (q.v.). During the progress of the civil war she not only managed her plantation during her husband's absence but established a hos- pital for sick and wounded soldiers at Myrtle Grove, where she was the chief nurse. After the close of the war she became interested in the temperance work of Frances E. Willard and pro-

^t»4^^^t*/.C-y//*H4'»^

moted it in the south at a time when it was exceed- ingly unpopular. She was elected president of the local temperance society and of the Louisiana State Christian Temperance Union, which latter position she held for ten years. She became an acceptable and convincing lecturer on the subject of temperance and on woman's right to a limited suffrage, on which subject she addressed the legis- lature of Louisiana and was instrumental in se- curing a law entitling tax-paying women to the privilege of voting on any matter affecting the rate of taxes on the property owned by them. She represented Louisiana in the meetings of the Woman's International Council and in the Woman's National American association held in Washington, D.C., in 1886. She was secretary of St. Anna's Asylum for Aged and Destitute Women and Children for twelve years ; president of the Ladies' Sanitary and Benevolent associa- tion ; president of the Woman's Foreign Mission- ary society ; president of the Woman Suffrage Association for Louisiana until 1900. when she was elected honorary vice-president for life. She is the author of : Old Times in Dixie Land : A Southeim MatroiVs J/emo7'?e.s,(1900).

MERRICK, David Andrew, Jesuit clergyman and educator, was born in New York city, N.Y., Feb. 19, 1833 ; son of Patrick and Margaret (Mur- phy) Merrick, natives of Ireland. He attended private schools in Brooklyn and New York city, and the grammar school of Colum- bia college. He was gradu- ated at St. John's college, Fordham.N.Y., in 1850, and studied law and medicine in New York, 1850-53. but aban- doned these professions for the church. He went to Europe in 1853, joined the Society of Jesus at St. Acheul near Amiens, France, where he re- mained until 1856, and studied philosophy at La- val, France. 1856-59. He returned to New York city in 1859 ; was an instructor in Latin and Greek at St. John's college, Fordham, 1859-60, and at St. Mary's college, Montreal, Canada, 1860-61. and completed his theological studies in Boston, Mass., and Fordham, N.Y., in 1865. He was or- dained priest at the old St. Patrick's Cathedral, N.Y., by Bishop Bailey, Sept. 24, 1864, was the English preacher of The Gesu church, Mon- treal, Canada, 1866-70, and a teacher of philoso- phy in St. Mary's college, Montreal, 1869. He was pastor of St. Francis Xavier's church. New York city, 1870-80, and was active in securing funds for the erection of the new church build- ing. He was rector of St. Lawrence's church, New York city, 1880-88, and was appointed presi- dent of the College of St. Francis Xavier in Sep- tember, 1888, to succeed the Rev. John J. Mur-