About
John Francis Mercer (1759-1821) was a Virginia soldier and politician who studied at the College of William and Mary in the late 1770s. After his military career, he served in the Continental Congress and Virginia House of Delegates. He eventually moved to Maryland, and in 1787, attended the Constitutional Convention as delegate for Maryland, yet because of his anti-Federalist views, he left the Convention before the end. However, during Jefferson's presidency, he joined the Federalists. In 1801, Mercer was the first Virginian to be elected governor of Maryland.
Citation(s):
“George Washington to Lund Washington, 10–17 December 1776,” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/03-07-02-0228. [Original source: The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series, vol. 7, 21 October 1776–5 January 1777, ed. Philander D. Chase. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1997, pp. 289–292.]
"John Francis Mercer (1759-1821)," Biographical Series, Archives of Maryland, https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/000900/000904/html/904extbio.html, accessed 20 May 2026.
Recipient
- Letter not found; listed by William Short in an inventory of his correspondence.Written by: