Frederick Olen Mercer
Appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956 and confirmed by voice vote, Frederick Olen Mercer was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He earned a law degree from University of Illinois College of Law in 1924. Rulings & record ↓ Sources ↓
- Lived
- 1901–1966
- Appointed by
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1956
- Confirmed
- by voice vote
- Education
- University of Illinois College of Law 1924
- Succeeded
- Jackson Leroy Adair
- Succeeded by
- Robert Dale Morgan
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Southern District of Illinois succeeded Jackson Leroy Adair | Eisenhower (R) | Voice vote |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.
Confirmation vote
Voice vote
The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.
Education
Judicial Record
In our data, Mercer authored 22 published opinions for the court (1957–1965). Most cited: Bader v. United States (28 citations).
A selective record from published opinions in the CourtListener corpus, not every ruling; most unpublished district orders are not included. Counts and rankings are objective and recomputable: how we count. We describe the record, not the judge.
Recent & notable rulings
| Year | Case | Citation | Cited |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Bader v. United States | 172 F. Supp. 833 | 28 |
| 1959 | Seven-Up Company v. O-So Grape Co. | 179 F. Supp. 167 | 18 |
| 1965 | Adams v. United States | 241 F. Supp. 383 | 15 |
| 1960 | Erickson v. United States | 189 F. Supp. 521 | 14 |
| 1959 | Continental Casualty Co. v. American Fidelity & Casualty Co. | 186 F. Supp. 173 | 13 |
| 1961 | United States v. THE M/V MARTIN | 198 F. Supp. 171 | 12 |
| 1957 | Eldin v. United States | 157 F. Supp. 34 | 12 |
| 1962 | United States v. Certain Parcels of Land in Peoria County, Illinois | 209 F. Supp. 483 | 10 |
| 1959 | The Seven-Up Company v. O-So Grape Co. | 177 F. Supp. 91 | 10 |
| 1957 | City of Davenport v. Three-Fifths of an Acre of Land | 147 F. Supp. 794 | 8 |
| 1962 | Daly v. WEST CENTRAL BROADCASTING COMPANY | 201 F. Supp. 238 | 6 |
| 1959 | Rochelle Asparagus Co. v. Princeville Canning Co. | 170 F. Supp. 809 | 6 |
| 1957 | Edlin v. Security Insurance Company | 160 F. Supp. 487 | 6 |
| 1964 | Newman v. Weinstein | 229 F. Supp. 440 | 5 |
| 1962 | United States v. Schlicksup Drug Co. | 206 F. Supp. 801 | 5 |
Showing the 15 most-cited of 22 authored opinions in our data. “Cited” is inbound citations across the CourtListener corpus. Case links open the ruling’s full text (CourtListener) or its page here; read the methodology and verify against the primary source.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Frederick Olen Mercer?
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Frederick Olen Mercer to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois in 1956.
- Was Frederick Olen Mercer appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Frederick Olen Mercer was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Frederick Olen Mercer's confirmation vote?
- Frederick Olen Mercer was confirmed by voice vote on June 13, 1956. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
- Which court was Frederick Olen Mercer on?
- Frederick Olen Mercer was a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- CourtListener bulk data (Free Law Project): authored opinions & citation counts
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
9 years on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. Data as of 2026-08-10. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).