David Henry Mercer was a Nebraska

Nebraska

Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

 Republican politician.
Born in Benton County, Iowa

Benton County, Iowa

-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 26,076 in the county, with a population density of . There were 11,095 housing units, of which 10,302 were occupied.-2000 census:...

 on July 9, 1857, he moved with his parents to Adams County, Illinois

Adams County, Illinois

Adams County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 67,103, which is a decrease of 1.7% from 68,277 in 2000...

 in 1858. After the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 he moved again to Brownville, Nebraska

Brownville, Nebraska

Brownville is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census.- History :Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the...

. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1880 and the law department of University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

 in 1882. He was admitted to the bar and set up practice back in Brownville serving one term as city clerk and police judge.

He moved to Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha, Nebraska

Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...

 in 1885 and was for several years was chairman of the Republican city and county committees. He was the secretary of the Republican State central committee in 1896, and elected secretary of the Republican National Congressional Committee in the same year. In 1897 he was chairman of the Republican State Central committee of Nebraska in 1897 and 1898.

He was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Fifty-third United States Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses serving from March 4, 1893 to March 3, 1903. During his time as representatives he was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds during the Fifty-fifth, Fifty-sixth, and Fifty-seventh Congresses. He unsuccessfully ran for reelection in 1902. Afterwards he settled in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 resuming his practice of law. He died in Omaha on January 10, 1919 and is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Omaha..