Mary Martha Presley Merritt

Mary Martha Presley Merritt (died May 15, 1994) was an American politician and civic leader. She served two terms in the West Virginia House of Delegates and was named West Virginia's Outstanding Woman Legislator by the Eagleton Institute of Politics in 1972. Merritt went on to serve as vice president and president of the West Virginia Board of Education and as the Worker's Compensation Commissioner.

Early life and education Merritt was born Mary Martha Presley in Tutwiler, Mississippi. She was the daughter of Curtis Edward Presley and Martha Ella Johnston Presley.

She was educated at National Park College and at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

Politics and public life Merritt was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1970. She was named "West Virginia's Outstanding Woman Legislator" by the Eagleton Institute of Politics of Rutgers University in 1972. She was also a member of the Jamestowne Society.

She died of cancer on May 15, 1994, in Beckley. Her funeral was held at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on May 18, 1994. A burial service was held at Oakridge Cemetery in Clarksdale, Mississippi on May 20, 1994.