Charles Merton Merrill

Charles Merton Merrill was born on December 11, 1907, in Honolulu. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1928 and his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1931. He began his legal career in private practice in Reno, Nevada, in 1931, building his professional foundation in the state over nearly two decades.

In 1951, Merrill was elevated to the Supreme Court of Nevada, where he served as a justice through 1959. During that tenure he twice held the position of chief justice, in 1955 - 1956 and again in 1959, leaving a lasting mark on the state's highest court.

In 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower nominated Merrill to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; the Senate confirmed him, and he received his commission on September 21, 1959. He assumed senior status in 1974 and continued his service on the federal bench until his death on March 29, 1996, in San Francisco - capping a distinguished judicial career that spanned state and federal courts.