Hiram Merrill Explained

Hiram Merrill
Order:18th
Mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin
Term Start:April 1874
Term End:April 1875
Predecessor:James Sutherland
Successor:James W. St. John
State1:Wisconsin
State Assembly1:Wisconsin
District1:Rock 5th
Term Start1:January 4, 1875
Term End1:January 3, 1876
Predecessor1:John Winans
Successor1:Jere A. Blount
Party:Republican
Birth Date:14 January 1829
Birth Place:Adams, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Janesville, Wisconsin, U.S.
Restingplace:Oak Hill Cemetery,
Spouse:Louise Merrill (died 1921)

Hiram Merrill (January 14, 1829September 5, 1908) was an American businessman and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 18th mayor of Janesville, Wisconsin, and a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Biography

Merrill was born on January 14, 1829, in Adams, New York, and came to what is now Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1837, where his father ran the Traveler's Inn at Walker's Point. Hiram worked in his father's shipyard, then headed west in 1849 for the California gold rush, where he sold water for hydraulic mining.[1] On October 20, 1856, he married Louise Ballard.[2] Merrill and his wife were Episcopalians. They had four children. He died on June 9, 1893.

Career

In 1866 the Merrills settled in Janesville, Wisconsin, where Hiram gained control of the New Gas Light Company.[1] He was elected to the Assembly in 1874, defeating incumbent John Winans, who later became a member of the United States House of Representatives. Other positions Merrill held include Mayor of Janesville. He was an Independent Republican.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=80000187}} National Register of Historic Places Registration: Lovejoy and Merrill-Nowlan houses]. National Park Service. Nancy Belle Douglas. 1979-05-18. 2021-03-06.
  2. Book: THE COLUMBIAN Biographical Dictionary AND PORTRAIT GALLERY OF THE REPRESENTATIVE MEN OF THE UNITED STATES.. Chicago. The Lewis Publishing Company. 1895. 200-202.
  3. Book: Portrait and Biographical ALBUM OF ROCK COUNTY, WISCONSIN. Chicago. 1889. 567–568.