William H. Merritt

In 1861, at the outbreak of the American Civil War, Merritt withdrew from his business interests to enter the service, at the first call of president Abraham Lincoln for three months troops. He was first elected Captain of Company K, First Iowa Infantry, which honor he declined, after which he was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the regiment and so commissioned. Owing to the illness of Colonel Bates, Merritt led that gallant regiment at the Battle of Wilson's Creek, Missouri. When General Lyon fell, mortally wounded, on that occasion. he stood within a few steps of that officer. At the expiration of four months, when the regiment was mustered out, Merritt was appointed on the staff of General McClellan with the rank of Colonel of Cavalry. He was strongly presented for promotion to Brigadier General, and was to have gone to Texas on an expedition with General Kilpatrick, but different orders were issued and he was stationed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where he remained until late in 1862, when he resigned and returned to Iowa. He subsequently raised a company at Cedar Rapids for the Sixth Cavalry, under the promise of a commission as Lieutenant Colonel, failing of which he resigned and again engaged in the newspaper business.^[1]

In July 1861, he was nominated by the Democratic State Convention for Governor of Iowa but was defeated by Samuel J. Kirkwood. In 1863 he moved to Des Moines and took editorial charge of The Statesman, a leading Democratic newspaper that he published until 1866 when he sold it. In 1866, he was appointed by president Andrew Johnson Collector of Internal Revenue but his nomination was rejected by the Senate. In 1880, he was elected mayor of Des Moines, in 1886 he was appointed postmaster of Des Moines.^[1] Merritt died in Ceder Rapids on July 23, 1891, aged 70.^[4][5]