William Matthews Merrick

William Matthews Merrick 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 Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.

Education and career

Born on September 1, 1818, near Faulkner, Charles County, Maryland, Merrick was the son of William Dunhurst Merrick and his wife. He graduated from Georgetown College in 1831, studied law at the University of Virginia, and read law in 1839 to prepare for the bar.
Merrick admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Baltimore, Maryland from 1839 to 1844. He continued private practice in Frederick, Maryland from 1844 to 1854. He served as deputy attorney general for Frederick County, Maryland from 1845 to 1859. He resumed private practice in Washington, D.C. from 1854 to 1855.

Circuit Court service

Merrick was nominated by President Franklin Pierce on December 14, 1855, to a seat on the United States Circuit Court of the District of Columbia vacated by Judge James Dunlop. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 14, 1855, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on March 3, 1863, due to abolition of the court.

Civil War and removal from office

While a circuit judge, Merrick is best known for his role in the case of United States ex rel. Murphy v. Porter during the American Civil War. On October 21, 1861, he was placed under house arrest by General Andrew Porter in relation to a writ for habeas corpus concerning a soldier stationed in Washington, D.C. That same day, President Abraham Lincoln ordered Secretary of State William H. Seward to suspend Merrick's salary. Though there is some debate if Merrick was actually confined to his home, guards were removed in mid-November.
In 1863, his name came up in discussions by the United States Senate over whether to abolish the D.C. Circuit Court, with opponents of the bill claiming that it was a stratagem to turn Merrick and his fellow judges out of office. Senator Henry Wilson claimed that Merrick's heart "sweltered with treason" and that his house had become a hotbed of pro-secessionist sympathizers.

Later career

Merrick resumed private practice in Howard County, Maryland from 1863 to 1870. He was a senior Professor of Law for Columbian College in Washington, D.C. from 1866 to 1867. He was a delegate to the Maryland state constitutional convention in 1867. He was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates in 1870.

Congressional service

Merrick was elected as a Democrat from Maryland's 5th congressional district to the United States House of Representatives of the 42nd United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1873. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the 43rd United States Congress in 1872. After his departure from Congress, Merrick resumed private practice in Howard County from 1873 to 1886.

Supreme Court of the District of Columbia service

Merrick received a recess appointment from President Grover Cleveland on May 1, 1885, to an Associate Justice seat on the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia vacated by Associate Justice Andrew Wylie. He was nominated to the same position by President Cleveland on December 14, 1885. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 30, 1886, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on February 4, 1889, due to his death in Washington, D.C. He was initially interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Washington, D.C. and re-interred in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Family

Merrick was the son of William Duhurst Merrick, a United States senator from Maryland. His uncle, William Matthews, was the President of Georgetown College. In 1849, Merrick married Mary Wickliffe, the daughter of Charles A. Wickliffe.