John Mercer
John Mercer was an influential figure in colonial Virginia, born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1704. After immigrating to Virginia in 1720, he became a notable attorney, known for his flamboyant style and tumultuous career. Mercer is particularly recognized for his work in legal literature, authoring "An Exact Abridgement of the Public Acts of the Assembly, of Virginia, in Force and Use" in 1737, which was the first digested code published in the colony, and aimed to clarify and summarize Virginia laws for public understanding.
In addition to his legal pursuits, Mercer was a literary figure and is often considered the likely author of "The Dinwiddianae," a satirical collection targeting prominent political figures of his time, which reflected early colonial resentment towards British authority. He amassed one of the finest libraries in colonial America, and his involvement with the Ohio Company of Virginia marked his interest in western land speculation. Unfortunately, financial difficulties plagued him later in life, leading to debt and his eventual death in 1768. Mercer's legacy includes significant contributions to law, literature, and colonial culture, with his writings preserved in prominent institutions today.
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John Mercer
- Born: February 6, 1704
- Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
- Died: October 14, 1768
Biography
John Mercer was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1704 and named after his father, an Anglo-Irish merchant. After studying at Trinity College, he immigrated to Virginia in 1720. He studied the law and became a flamboyant attorney, who was reprimanded and reinstated several times. He settled in Stafford County, where he built Marlborough, an elaborate and impressive colonial American home.
Mercer compiled an abridgment of Virginia laws, modeled upon Edmund Wingate’s 1655 abridgment of British statutes. His book, An Exact Abridgement of the Public Acts of the Assembly, of Virginia, in Force and Use . . . (1737) was the first digested code published in Virginia and immediately became a classic. It included punishments for public and private actions ranging from stealing hogs to refusing to baptize children. Mercer pointed out which laws were annulled or repealed, discussed standard weights and measures, surveyed the architecture of buildings and towns, and tried to make the laws understandable. He published revised editions in 1739 and 1759.
Mercer was known as a literary man among his contemporaries, and he seems the most likely author of The Dinwiddianae. This series of poems and letters was written from November 4, 1754, to May 3, 1757, and satirized Governor Robert Dinwiddie, General Edward Braddock, and others of their circle. This collection of prose glossaries and quasi-dialectical letters owes something to the works of Alexander Pope and Samuel Butler, but the author also opposed royalist policies, especially taxation. The collection illustrates the early political resentment of British authority. Though other possible authors have been proposed, Mercer was frequently in Williamsburg, Virginia, and his papers contain poems resembling those in The Dinwiddianae.
Mercer created one of the finest colonial libraries in America, with works on the arts, sciences, classics, divinity, history, gardening, and the law. He served as secretary and general counsel of the Ohio Company of Virginia, a company speculating in western lands. In 1745, he had difficulty getting payment from his law clients, and when he retired in 1765, he attempted to recoup his fortune by installing a brewery at his home. However, the beer was barely drinkable, and Mercer died in debt in 1768.
The Dinwiddianae papers are located at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Mercer’s account book from 1725 through 1732 and a diary from January 1, 1740, to March 1, 1768, have survived and are located, along with miscellaneous correspondence, in the Virginia Historical Society and Virginia State Library.