Mary Martha Presley Merritt
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Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S.
Mary Martha Presley Merritt | |
|---|---|
| West Virginia Workers Compensation Commissioner | |
| In office 1985–1987 | |
| President of the West Virginia Board of Education | |
| In office 1975–1979 | |
| Member of the West Virginia House of Delegates | |
| In office 1970–1974 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tutwiler, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | May 15, 1994 Beckley, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oakride Cemetery Clarksdale, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Charles W. Merritt |
| Children | 3 (including Presley Merritt Wagoner) |
| Education | University of Kentucky (BA) |
| Occupation | politician |
Mary Martha Presley Merritt (died May 15, 1994) was an American politician and civic leader. She served two terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates and was named West Virginia's Outstanding Woman Legislator by the Eagleton Institute of Politics in 1972. Merritt went on to serve as vice president and president of the West Virginia Board of Education and as the Worker's Compensation Commissioner.
Merritt was born Mary Martha Presley in Tutwiler, Mississippi.[1] She was the daughter of Curtis Edward Presley and Martha Ella Johnston Presley.[1][2]
She was educated at National Park College and at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.[1] Merritt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Kentucky, where she was also inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa honor society and was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.[1][3]