John Francis Mercer
John Francis Mercer ( born May 17, 1759 Stafford County, Virginia; † August 30, 1821 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ) was an American politician and 1801-1803 Governor of Maryland, he also 1792-1794 in the U.S. House of Representatives representing.
Early years and political rise
John Mercer attended to 1775, the College of William & Mary. He then studied at Thomas Jefferson Law, who would become his political mentor. Then he started in Williamsburg in his new profession to work as a lawyer. During the Revolutionary War, he rose to the Colonel from the lieutenant. He was involved in several battles and was at times also on the staff of General Charles Lee. Concurrently with this he resigned from the Continental Army to join the militia of Virginia. As a member of this troupe, he then took part in the siege of Yorktown.
Between 1782 and 1785 Mercer was for his then state of Virginia in the Continental Congress. He was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party of Thomas Jefferson. Then he moved into the Anne Arundel County in Maryland. In 1787 he was a member of the Constituent Assembly of the United States. He put this mandate but prematurely down because he did not agree with the proposed constitution. In 1788, he was, despite his negative attitude towards the U.S. Constitution a member of Assembly, which just ratified this for Maryland. In 1788, 1791-1792 and 1800 to 1801 he sat in the House of Representatives from Maryland, from 1792 to 1794 he was a delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington.
Governor of Maryland
On November 9, 1801, he was elected by the legislature of Maryland as the new governor of his state. After a re-election in 1802, he could stay in this office between 10 November 1801 and 15 November 1803. During this period a reform of the electoral law was conducted in Maryland. Among other things, the connection of the electoral law were abolished with the right to property and introduced the secret ballot.
In 1803, Mercer gave up another candidacy. Instead he was again deputy in the State Parliament. he remained 1803-1805. Thereafter he retired from politics. He spent his last years at his estate Cedar Park. John Mercer died in 1821 in Philadelphia. With his wife Sophia Sprigg had three children.