Charles F. Mercer
Encyclopedia
Charles Fenton Mercer was a nineteenth century politician, U.S. Congressman, and lawyer from Loudoun County
, Virginia
.
The youngest son of James Mercer
and Eleanor Mercer, he was the first cousin of Robert Selden Garnett
and James Mercer Garnett
, both future general
s in the Confederate States Army
.
Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
, Mercer graduated from Princeton College
in 1797, where he later took a postgraduate course
and received his degree
in 1800. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1802, commencing practice in Aldie, Virginia
, a village that he founded in 1810, centering around Mercer's mill
. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
from 1810 to 1817 and was appointed a lieutenant colonel
of a Virginia
regiment
in the War of 1812
. Mercer was later promoted to major
in command at Norfolk, Virginia
, was inspector general
in 1814, aide-de-camp
to Governor
James Barbour
and brigadier general
in command of the 2nd Virginia Brigade.
He was projector and first president of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Co.
from 1828 to 1833 and was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention
in 1829. Mercer was elected a Federalist
, Crawford Republican, Adams Republican
, Anti-Jacksonian
and Whig
to the United States House of Representatives
in 1816, serving from 1817 to 1839. There, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Roads and Canals
from 1831 to 1839. He was one of the originators of the plan for establishing the Free State of Liberia
, and in that context one of the founders of the American Colonization Society
in 1816, was vice president of the Virginia Colonization Society in 1836, and vice president of the National Society of Agriculture in 1842.
Mercer died at Howard, near Alexandria, Virginia
, on May 4, 1858 and was interred in Union Cemetery in Leesburg, Virginia
.
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
The youngest son of James Mercer
James Mercer (jurist)
James Mercer , also known as William James Mercer, was born in Virginia at Malborough plantation on February 26, 1736. He was the son of John Mercer and Catherine Mason Mercer...
and Eleanor Mercer, he was the first cousin of Robert Selden Garnett
Robert S. Garnett (congressman)
Robert Selden Garnett was a nineteenth century politician and lawyer from Virginia. He was the brother of James M. Garnett and the first cousin of Charles F. Mercer....
and James Mercer Garnett
James M. Garnett
James Mercer Garnett was a nineteenth century politician and planter from Virginia. He was the brother of Robert S. Garnett, the first cousin of Charles F. Mercer, and the grandfather of Muscoe Russell Hunter Garnett....
, both future general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
.
Born in Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, Mercer graduated from Princeton College
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1797, where he later took a postgraduate course
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
and received his degree
Postgraduate Diploma in Education
The Postgraduate Diploma in Education , also known as a Graduate Diploma of Education , is a one-year postgraduate course in several places like Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore for existing bachelor's degree holders leading to become a qualified teacher.The...
in 1800. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1802, commencing practice in Aldie, Virginia
Aldie, Virginia
Aldie is an unincorporated village located on the John Mosby Highway between Gilbert's Corner and Middleburg in Loudoun County, Virginia. It is located in a gap between the Catoctin Mountain and Bull Run Mountain, through which the Little River flows...
, a village that he founded in 1810, centering around Mercer's mill
Aldie Mill Historic District
Aldie Mill is a water mill in Aldie, Virginia built shortly after 1804 to grind grain using the waters of the Litle River. Retaining much of its original machinery, it is one of the best-preserved mills in Virginia.-History:...
. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates
Virginia House of Delegates
The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...
from 1810 to 1817 and was appointed a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of a Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Mercer was later promoted to major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in command at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, was inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
in 1814, aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
James Barbour
James Barbour
James Barbour was an American lawyer, amember and speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the 18th Governor of Virginia, the first Governor to reside in the current Virginia Governor's Mansion, a U.S. Senator from 1814–1825, and the United States Secretary of War from 1825-1828.Barbour was a...
and brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
in command of the 2nd Virginia Brigade.
He was projector and first president of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Co.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
from 1828 to 1833 and was a delegate to the Virginia Constitutional Convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
in 1829. Mercer was elected a Federalist
Federalist Party (United States)
The Federalist Party was the first American political party, from the early 1790s to 1816, the era of the First Party System, with remnants lasting into the 1820s. The Federalists controlled the federal government until 1801...
, Crawford Republican, Adams Republican
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
, Anti-Jacksonian
National Republican Party (United States)
The National Republicans were a political party in the United States. During the administration of John Quincy Adams , the president's supporters were referred to as Adams Men or Anti-Jackson. When Andrew Jackson was elected President of the United States in 1828, this group went into opposition...
and Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1816, serving from 1817 to 1839. There, he served as Chairman of the Committee on Roads and Canals
United States House Committee on Roads and Canals
The United States House Committee on Roads and Canals was a U.S. House committee, which was initially established as a select committee in 1815 and subsequently became a standing committee between 1831 and 1869. Roads and canals were an initial and integral sector of domestic improvements for...
from 1831 to 1839. He was one of the originators of the plan for establishing the Free State of Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, and in that context one of the founders of the American Colonization Society
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
in 1816, was vice president of the Virginia Colonization Society in 1836, and vice president of the National Society of Agriculture in 1842.
Mercer died at Howard, near Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, on May 4, 1858 and was interred in Union Cemetery in Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
.
External links
- Charles F. Mercer at Find A GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...