Truman A. Merriman

Truman Adams Merriman (September 5, 1839 – April 16, 1892) was a U.S. Representative from New York.

Biography

He was born on September 5, 1839 in Auburn, New York. Merriman attended Auburn Academy, and in 1861 he graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York.

He entered the Union Army in September 1861 as a captain, commanding a company which he had raised as part of the 92nd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. 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.

He studied law with Charles J. Folger and was admitted to the bar in 1867. He moved to New York City in 1871 and worked as a journalist for The Sun. He served as president of the New York Press Club in 1882, 1883, and 1884.

Merriman was elected as an Independent (non-Tammany) Democrat to the Forty-ninth Congress and reelected as a Democrat to the Fiftieth Congress (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1888.

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