My Genealogy Hound

ROBERT E. MERCER, county commissioner, residing in the Twenty-fifth ward, Pittsburgh, was born in Fayette county, Pa., Jan. 17, 1843, and is a son of James M. and Rebecca (Winters) Mercer, former of whom, by trade a window-glass blower, was born in Greene county, Pa., June 6, 1817, and both of Presbyterian and revolutionary stock. They were married in Fayette county, Pa., Dec. 3, 1841, and in 1847 removed to what was then the borough of Birmingham, now the Twenty-eighth ward of Pittsburgh. Robert and Leah Mercer, parents of James M., were natives of Greene county, Pa., both born about the year 1790, and came of a Scotch family, who immigrated to this country early in the eighteenth century, first, settling in New York. Robert E. Mercer, whose name heads this memoir, received a limited education, his time being divided between attending private and public schools and working in a glass-factory and a rolling-mill until February, 1858, when he commenced clerking in a grocery store, which continued until following November, when he entered the rolling-mill of Jones & Laughlin, in the nail department of which he worked until 1864. In that year he enlisted in Ind. Battery G, P. V., remaining in the service until the battery was mustered out, in June, 1865. Resuming work in the rolling-mill in July following, he continued in the same until July, 1872. In March of that year he was elected, on the republican ticket, alderman for the Second ward of East Birmingham, now Twenty-fifth ward, Pittsburgh, and in 1875 he tendered his resignation in order to secure the office under the new constitution adopted in 1873. He was almost unanimously re-elected, and held the position until 1878, in which year he was elected county commissioner, in which place he is now serving his fourth term, during all of which time he has been president of the board. Some of the most important public questions in the history of the county were brought before the board during his administration, including the 1877 riot claims, aggregating $4,000,000, which were settled for about $2,750,000, and the building of the new courthouse and jail, which cost, including furnishing, $2,500,000 — these and all other transactions justly meriting the unqualified appreciation of the ratepayers. Mr. Mercer was married, Jan. 3, 1888, to Martha Jones, of Pittsburgh, Pa.