View source for Thomas Rodman Merritt

{{Short description|Canadian politician}}
{{distinguish|Thomas Merritt (composer)}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
[[Image:ThomasRodmanMerritt23.jpg|thumb|right|Thomas Rodman Merritt <br> Source: Library and Archives Canada]]

'''Thomas Rodman Merritt''' (October 17, 1824 &ndash; January 11, 1906) was a Canadian businessman and political figure in [[Upper Canada]], later [[Ontario]], Canada. He represented [[Lincoln (federal electoral district)|Lincoln]] in the [[House of Commons of Canada]] as a [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] member from 1868 to 1874.

He was born at his maternal grandparents’ home in [[Mayville, New York]] in 1824, the son of [[William Hamilton Merritt]]. He studied at [[Upper Canada College]] in [[Toronto]] and Grantham Academy in [[St. Catharines, Ontario|St. Catharines]]. In 1839, he was working at a store in St. Catharines. In 1843, he opened a general store there in partnership with [[James Rea Benson]]. The partners bought [[gristmill|flour mills]] and had two ships built to transport flour. The partnership split up in 1849 and Merritt kept the mills and ships. In 1850, he set up a shipping line that transported goods to [[Brantford, Ontario|Brantford]] and returned to St. Catharines with wheat. In 1853, he married Mary Benson, the daughter of his former partner's brother Thomas Benson [http://www.canadiana.org/ECO/PageView/08545/0127?id=9150e1c5e5684dce].

Merritt served on the St. Catharines town council from 1857 to 1859. He was elected in an 1868 by-election to represent Lincoln in the House of Commons and was reelected in 1872. In 1869, his mills and ships were sold to the firm of Norris and [[Sylvester Neelon|Neelon]]. Merritt served as vice-president of the [[Niagara District Bank]] and became vice-president of the [[Imperial Bank of Canada]] after the two banks merged. He was also president of several companies in the area, including the [[Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge|Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company]] and the St Catharines Gas Light Company. He retired from politics in 1874. He helped found [[Ridley College (Ontario)|Bishop Ridley College]] at St. Catharines and served as president from 1888 to 1899. He died in St. Catharines in 1906.

His former home, [[Rodman Hall]] (built 1857-1863), later served as a private school and as an art gallery from 1960 to 2020 (acquired by [[Brock University]] in 2003. Since 2023 it operates as a boutique hotels and events centre.
{{CanElec1-by|13 April 1868|James Benson called to the Senate, 14 March 1868}}
{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Thomas Rodman Merritt|720}}
{{CANelec|XX|Unknown|O.S. Phillips|120}}
{{end}}
{{1872 Canadian federal election/Lincoln}}

==External links==
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=6928 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=8543}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, Thomas}}
[[Category:1824 births]]
[[Category:1906 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:People from Mayville, New York]]
[[Category:Upper Canada College alumni|Merritt, Thomas Rodman]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]