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 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.