Ulysses Mercur

Ulysses Mercur

Ulysses Mercur (born August 12, 1818 in Towanda , Bradford County , Pennsylvania , †  June 6, 1887 in Wallingford , Pennsylvania) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1865 and 1872 he represented the state of Pennsylvania in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Ulysses Mercur enjoyed a classical education. In 1842 he graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg . After a subsequent law degree and his admission as a lawyer in 1843, he began to work in Towanda in this profession. He later embarked on a political career as a member of the Republican Party founded in 1854 . In June 1856 he took part as a delegate at the first Republican National Convention in Philadelphia , at which John C. Frémont was nominated as a presidential candidate. Between 1861 and 1865 he was the presiding judge in the 13th Judicial District of Pennsylvania.

In the 1864 congressional election , Mercur was elected to the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , in the 13th  constituency of Pennsylvania , where he succeeded Henry Wells Tracy on March 4, 1865 . After three re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his resignation on December 2, 1872 . In April 1865 the civil war ended . Between 1865 and 1869, the work of Congress was weighed down by tension between Republicans and President Andrew Johnson , which culminated in a narrowly unsuccessful impeachment trial. The 13th , 14th, and 15th amendments were ratified during Mercur's tenure as Congressman . From 1871 he headed the Private Land Claims Committee.

Mercur's resignation in December 1872 came after his appointment to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania . From 1883 until his death he chaired this court. He died on June 6, 1887 in Wallingford and was buried in his birthplace, Towanda.

Web links

• Ulysses Mercur in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Ulysses Mercur in the database of Find a Grave (English)

predecessor	Office	successor
Henry Wells Tracy	United States House Representative for Pennsylvania (13th constituency) March 4, 1865 - December 2, 1872	Frank Charles Bunnell