Born in Charles County , Maryland , Merrick was the son of William D. Merrick , a member of the Maryland legislature and the United States Senate . His brother , William Matthews Merrick , was a federal judge and congressman from Maryland . His uncle , William Matthews , was the President of Georgetown College . At the age of eighteen , Merrick raised a regiment for service in the Mexican – American War . On his return from Mexico , he began to practice law and was elected to the Maryland Legislature . He later moved to Chicago and represented Illinois at the 1860 Democratic National Convention as a delegate for Stephen Douglas . In 1864 , he married Nannie McGuire and moved to Washington , D.C. where he became a successful attorney . He defended John Surratt against allegations that he was involved in Abraham Lincoln 's assassination , and later represented Samuel J. Tilden at the Electoral Commission of 1877 . In 1874 , he endowed the Merrick Medal , a prize given annually to the best debater of the Philodemic Society of Georgetown University . He assisted in the prosecution of the star route scandal from 1882 to 1883 . He died in 1885 and was buried at Oak Hill cemetery in Georgetown , Washington , D.C. His daughter , Mary Virginia Merrick , was the founder of the National Christ Child Society and is a candidate for canonization
Abraham Lincoln 's assassination
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Richard T. Merrick