Eli Todd Merriman

ELI TODD MERRIMAN

BORN THE SON OF A DOCTOR, ELI TODD MERRIMAN (1852-1941) WAS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF CORPUS CHRISTI. THE MERRIMAN FAMILY MIGRATED TO CORPUS CHRISTI FROM CONNECTICUT IN 1838 BY WAY OF BASTROP, SAN MARCOS, EDINBURG AND BANQUETE, FINALLY ARRIVING IN THEIR FINAL DESTINATION IN 1865. IN 1870, ELI, AT THE AGE OF 18, BEGAN WORKING AS A TYPESETTER FOR THE NUECES VALLEY, A WEEKLY PUBLICATION. HE WOULD SOON BECOME A FOREMAN AND LATER A REPORTER. ELI LATER MOVED ON TO THE GALVESTON NEWS DURING A BRIEF SEPARATION FROM CORPUS CHRISTI BUT LATER RETURNED TO WORK FOR THE CORPUS CHRISTI GAZETTE. IN 1876, ELI AND WILLIAM H. MALTBY, AN EXPERIENCED PUBLISHER, CREATED AND PUBLISHED THE CORPUS CHRISTI FREE PRESS. ELI, WHO HELD THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SECURING SUBSCRIPTIONS, TRAVELED BY HORSEBACK AS FAR AS THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY. AFTER MALTBY’S DEATH IN 1880, ELI BECAME SOLE PROPRIETOR.

IN 1883, THE PAPER WAS SOLD TO THE CALLER PUBLISHING COMPANY, WHICH IN TURN RENAMED THE PAPER THE CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER. TODAY IT IS CALLED THE CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES. DURING HIS STINT, ELI EARNED THE NICKNAME “DEAN OF TEXAS NEWSPAPER MEN” AS THE CALLER WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PAPERS IN TEXAS. RETIRING FROM THE NEWSPAPER DID NOT SLOW ELI DOWN. HE EMPLOYED HIMSELF IN REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE. HIS MAIN EFFORTS WERE TO CREATE A DEEP-WATER PORT FOR CORPUS CHRISTI AND TO REPAIR AND PRESERVE THE OLD BAYVIEW CEMETERY, WHERE HE IS NOW BURIED. ELI WORKED TIRELESSLY TO FUNDRAISE FOR THESE CAUSES. IN 1941, AT THE AGE OF 88, ELI TODD MERRIMAN PASSED AWAY LEAVING A LEGACY FOR HIS THREE CHILDREN OF COMMUNITY PRIDE AND RESPONSIBILITY. THE STATE HONORED HIM WITH A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING HIS ASTOUNDING CONTRIBUTION TO TEXAS.

(2012)

MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS.