Truman Adams Merriman (September 5, 1839 – April 16, 1892) was an American lawyer,

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

veteran, and politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1885 to 1889.

Biography

Early life and education

He was born on September 5, 1839, in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

. Merriman attended Auburn Academy, and in 1861 he graduated from Hobart College in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

Civil War

He entered the Union Army in September 1861 as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, commanding a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

which he had raised as part of the

92nd New York Volunteer Infantry The 92nd New York Infantry Regiment (aka "2nd St. Lawrence County Regiment", "New York Excelsior Rifle Legion", "Excelsior Rifle Blues", and "Potsdam Regiment") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Th ...

. He took part in several battles, including the Fair Oaks, Seven Days, and Petersburg. He was wounded at Petersburg, and was mustered out as a lieutenant colonel in December, 1864.

Legal career

He studied law with Charles J. Folger and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1867. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1871 and worked as a journalist for ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

''. He served as president of the New York Press Club in 1882, 1883, and 1884.

Congress

Merriman was elected as an Independent (non-

Tammany Tamanend ("the Affable"; ), historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenape, Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the founding peace t ...

) Democrat to the Forty-ninth Congress and reelected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1888.

Death and burial

He died in New York City April 16, 1892, and was interred at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merriman, Truman Adams 1839 births 1892 deaths Politicians from Auburn, New York Hobart and William Smith Colleges alumni Union army officers New York (state) independents Independent Democrat members of the United States House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century New York (state) politicians 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives