Merrill I. Mills

Merrill I. Mills (November 4, 1819 – September 14, 1882) was a businessman and mayor of Detroit.

Biography Merrill I. Mills was born on November 4, 1819, in Canton, Connecticut, the son of Isaac and Asenath Merrill Mills. Although his parents preferred he take up a professional career, Mills found he had no taste for college life, and in 1833, he joined his father's gunpowder manufacturing firm. He was mayor of Detroit in 1866–1867, and in 1868 ran unsuccessfully for US Congress. He served on the Detroit Board of Estimates, and in 1876 was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

Personal Mills married Cynthia A. Barbour. The couple had two children, Merrill B. Mills and Ella B. Mills.

Health issues forced Mills's retirement from business and politics in 1880, and Mills died on September 14, 1882, survived by his wife and two children; his son Merrill B. Mills succeeded him in running his business interests.