John Francis Mercer (1759–1821)
Bushrod Washington read law with and served in the military under Mercer.
John Francis Mercer, an uncle of Charles Fenton Mercer, was born on 17 May 1759 at Marlborough, the family estate in Stafford County, Virginia. He attended The College of William and Mary, where his roommate was James Monroe; the two would become close friends. During the Revolutionary War, Mercer was commissioned a captain in the 3rd Virginia Regiment in the Continental Army and served under Charles Lee and the Marquis de Lafayette.
"John Francis Mercer." Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale In Context: U.S. History, link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2310007610/UHIC?u=viva_uva&sid=bookmark-UHIC&xid=a7fabef8. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023.
Tim McGrath, James Monroe: A Life (New York: Dutton, 2020).
A Guide to the John Francis Mercer Letter to John Fitzgerald, 1785 May 28, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia (Archival Resources of the Virginias).
John Francis Mercer at Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
John Francis Mercer at Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series).
Gov. John Francis Mercer at National Governor’s Association.
John Francis Mercer at Find a Grave.
Governor John Francis Mercer at FamilySearch.