Schuyler Merritt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's4th district | |
| In office March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | William L. Tierney |
| Succeeded by | Alfred N. Phillips |
| In office November 6, 1917 – March 3, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Ebenezer J. Hill |
| Succeeded by | William L. Tierney |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1853-12-16)December 16, 1853 New York City |
| Died | April 1, 1953(1953-04-01) (aged 99) |
| Resting place | Woodland Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingKatharine |
| Parent(s) | Matthew F. Merritt Mariah Shaw |
| Residence(s) | Stamford, Connecticut |
| Alma mater | Yale College (1873) Columbia Law School (1876) |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Signature |  |
Schuyler Merritt (December 16, 1853 – April 1, 1953) was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromConnecticut's 4th congressional district from 1917 to 1931 and 1933 to 1937. He is the namesake of theMerritt Parkway.
He was born in New York City, in 1853,[1] the son ofMatthew Franklin Merritt (1815–1896), a Connecticut State Senator, and Mariah Shaw Merritt. His father had also served in the Connecticut General Assembly. He moved with his parents toStamford, Connecticut, in 1855. His maternal grandmother, Clarissa Hoyt, was descended from the originalHoyts who purchasedNoroton Hill more than 300 years before.
Schuyler prepared for college atprivate schools in that city and graduated fromYale College in 1873 and fromColumbia Law School in 1876.
In 1877, after graduation from Columbia Law, he joinedYale & Towne Manufacturing Company in the manufacture of locks and keys as an office assistant. He eventually rose to be secretary in 1878, general manager in 1890 and treasurer in 1898.[2] He was also involved in banking from 1877 until 1917.
In 1904, Merritt was member of theConnecticut constitutional convention that rewroteConnecticut's Constitution. From 1910 until 1916, he was a member of theConnecticut State Board of Education, and later, a delegate to the1916 Republican National Convention.
He was elected as aRepublican to the Sixty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofEbenezer J. Hill. Merritt was reelected to the Sixty-sixth and to the five succeeding Congresses and served from November 6, 1917, to March 3, 1931.[1] He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1930, but was again elected to the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Congresses, serving from March 4, 1933, until January 3, 1937.[1] During his time in the House, he served alongside Rep.Matthew Merritt, of New York, who shared a last name, causing some papers to misreport their votes on certain bills.[3] In 1936, Merritt again ran for reelection to the Seventy-fifth Congress, but was not elected, losing toAlfred N. Phillips.
While in Congress, he served on theInterstate Commerce Committee[4] and was known for his opposition to theEighteenth Amendment, prohibiting liquors,[5] and his opposition to theNew Deal program for stock market controls.[6][2]
After leaving Congress, he returned to the Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company, where he was chairman of the board from 1924 until 1932, and retired as a director in 1947.[7][8] He was an officer of theFirst Stamford National Bank, since 1902, served as board chairman.[2] He was also a vice president of the Stamford Gas and Electric Company.[2]
Merritt was recognized in 1951 and 1952 as the oldest living Yale graduate and the sole survivor of the class of 1873. In 1935, Yale conferred the honorary degree ofDoctor of Laws on him.[9][10]
On October 21, 1879, Merritt married Frances Hannah Hoyt (1850–1943), the daughter of Stamford multimillionaire Joseph Blachley Hoyt (1812–1889)[11] and Catherine Krom (1816–1862), and the niece ofOliver Hoyt (1823–1887), aConnecticut State Senator.[12] Together, they were the parents of:
Merritt was a mentor to his niece,Joyce Porter Arneill, who would go on to found the National Federation of Republican Women in 1938 and become an RNC delegate for the 1940 presidential election. Arneill was credited with getting many American women involved in politics in the 1930s and 1940s[16]
Merritt died in Stamford on April 1, 1953, at the age of 99.[2] He was buried in Woodland Cemetery.[1][17][18]
TheMerritt Parkway, finished on September 2, 1940, in southern Connecticut was named in his honor and his daughter Louise cut the ribbon.[19]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's 4th congressional district 1917–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's 4th congressional district 1933–1937 | Succeeded by |
