Pliny T. Merrick
Encyclopedia
Pliny T. Merrick Attorney and Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts
1853 - 1864.
August 2, 1794. He was married May 23, 1821 to Rebecca Thomas, daughter of Isaiah Thomas, Jr. of Worcester; she died June 17, 1859. They had no children.
, Charlton
, Swansea
and Taunton
until June, 1824, when he returned to Worcester
. He served as Worcester County's
district attorney from 1824 through 1843. In 1844 he was Judge of the Municipal Court. In 1843 he was named a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He resigned this appointment in 1848, and was reappointed in 1851. In 1949-50 he was senior defense counsel (co-counsel with Edward Dexter Sohier
) in the trial of Harvard University
Professor John White Webster
, accused of murdering of Harvard patron Dr. George Parkman
. The prosecutors for the trial were John H. Clifford
, then Massachusetts Attorney-General and the prosecutor of all capital murder cases, and George Bemis, Esq, and independent attorney. In 1853 Judge Merrick was promoted to the bench of the Supreme Judicial Court by the same John H. Clifford
, now Governor of Massachusetts
(served 1853-1854.) He received the degree of LL.D. from Harvard in 1853. He served on the bench of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
until 1864.
He was a representative of Worcester County
in both branches of the state legislature. He was an Overseer of Harvard University
from 1852-1856.He also served for two years as president of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad
. In 1855 Judge Merrick moved to Boston
and lived there until his death 1867.
The gruesome murder drew national attention and although Judge Merrick lost the case, he received much notoriety for the case.
The Boston Globe
reported Merrick's response, that upon the verdict, "In a moment or two, his senior counsel, Judge MERRICK, to the dock, and addressed a few words to the prisoner, to which, so far as we could judge, he replied.— Judge Merrick was deeply affected, and so agitated that he could hardly stand."
Judge Merrick died of paralysis in Boston
on January 31, 1867, in his 73rd year. His obituary in the New York Times
(2/4/1867) stated: "In 1864 an attack of paralysis obliged him to resign his seat on the Bench. His mind, however, had remained unclouded until a second and fatal attack..." He bequeathed a fund for the establishment of schools of high grade in Worcester.
www.biblebelievers.org.au/masons.htm
Image Judge Pliny T. Merrick from "The Disappearance of Dr. Parkman" Robert Sullivan, Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1971, pg. 58
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
1853 - 1864.
Early history
Pliny T. Merrick (1794–1867,) son of Hon. Pliny Merrick and Ruth Cutler Merrick was born in Brookfield, MassachusettsBrookfield, Massachusetts
Brookfield is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,390 at the 2010 census.-History:Brookfield was first settled in 1660 and was officially incorporated in 1718...
August 2, 1794. He was married May 23, 1821 to Rebecca Thomas, daughter of Isaiah Thomas, Jr. of Worcester; she died June 17, 1859. They had no children.
Judicial career
After graduation from Harvard University in 1814, Pliny T. Merrick was admitted to the Worcester bar in 1817. He practiced law in WorcesterWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, Charlton
Charlton, Massachusetts
Charlton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,981 at the 2010 census.- History :Charlton was first settled in 1735. It was established as a District separated off from Oxford on January 10, 1755, and became a Town in 1775 by a law that made all...
, Swansea
Swansea, Massachusetts
Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts.It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, 47 miles south of Boston; and 12 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island....
and Taunton
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area. The city is located south of Boston, east of Providence, north of Fall River and west of Plymouth. The City of Taunton is situated on the Taunton River...
until June, 1824, when he returned to Worcester
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
. He served as Worcester County's
Worcester County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...
district attorney from 1824 through 1843. In 1844 he was Judge of the Municipal Court. In 1843 he was named a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He resigned this appointment in 1848, and was reappointed in 1851. In 1949-50 he was senior defense counsel (co-counsel with Edward Dexter Sohier
Edward Dexter Sohier
Edward Dexter Sohier was a United States lawyer, best remembered for defending John White Webster in a murder trial in 1850.-Early days:...
) in the trial of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
Professor John White Webster
John White Webster
John White Webster , born in Boston, Massachusetts, was a professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical College...
, accused of murdering of Harvard patron Dr. George Parkman
George Parkman
George Parkman , a Boston Brahmin , belonged to one of Boston's richest families...
. The prosecutors for the trial were John H. Clifford
John H. Clifford
John Henry Clifford , U.S. political figure, was the 21st Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a single term, from 1853 to 1854....
, then Massachusetts Attorney-General and the prosecutor of all capital murder cases, and George Bemis, Esq, and independent attorney. In 1853 Judge Merrick was promoted to the bench of the Supreme Judicial Court by the same John H. Clifford
John H. Clifford
John Henry Clifford , U.S. political figure, was the 21st Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a single term, from 1853 to 1854....
, now Governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
(served 1853-1854.) He received the degree of LL.D. from Harvard in 1853. He served on the bench of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
until 1864.
He was a representative of Worcester County
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in both branches of the state legislature. He was an Overseer of Harvard University
Harvard Board of Overseers
The Harvard Board of Overseers is one of Harvard University's two governing boards...
from 1852-1856.He also served for two years as president of the Worcester and Nashua Railroad
Old Colony Railroad
The Old Colony Railroad was a major railroad system, mainly covering southeastern Massachusetts and parts of Rhode Island. It operated from 1845 to 1893. Old Colony trains ran from Boston to points such as Plymouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Newport, Providence, Fitchburg, Lowell and Cape Cod...
. In 1855 Judge Merrick moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and lived there until his death 1867.
John White Webster Trial
In 1849-50 Judge Merrick was senior defense counsel in the Parkman-Webster murder caseParkman-Webster murder case
The Parkman-Webster murder case was a highly publicized crime, investigation, and trial that shook the American city of Boston, Massachusetts to its core in 1849–1850, due to the crime's gruesome nature and the high social station of the victim and murderer....
The gruesome murder drew national attention and although Judge Merrick lost the case, he received much notoriety for the case.
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
reported Merrick's response, that upon the verdict, "In a moment or two, his senior counsel, Judge MERRICK, to the dock, and addressed a few words to the prisoner, to which, so far as we could judge, he replied.— Judge Merrick was deeply affected, and so agitated that he could hardly stand."
Anti-Masonic Movement
Judge Merrick was an active promoter of the Anti-Masonic Party. The party developed in the early nineteenth century, opposing political leaders who were members of secretive Masonic brotherhoods. Masonic members held political views on the role of the government and how the country should expand. The Anti-Masonic Party opposed those views as moving away from the original founding fathers intent. Judge Merrick renounced Free Masonry in 1832. The party was the precursor to the Whig Party/Whig Party (United States) from 1833-1856.Death
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on January 31, 1867, in his 73rd year. His obituary in the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
(2/4/1867) stated: "In 1864 an attack of paralysis obliged him to resign his seat on the Bench. His mind, however, had remained unclouded until a second and fatal attack..." He bequeathed a fund for the establishment of schools of high grade in Worcester.
Other sources
Macoy, Robert. "A Dictionary of Freemasonry" Mercy Books, NY. 2000.www.biblebelievers.org.au/masons.htm
Image Judge Pliny T. Merrick from "The Disappearance of Dr. Parkman" Robert Sullivan, Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1971, pg. 58