In 1899 Merchant represented ward six on the Pittsfield Common Council.[3]
^ abcMunicipal Register of the City of Pittsfield for 1907: Containing City Officers and Committees, Mayor's Address, Reports of Officers and Committees, and the Receipts and Expenditures for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31st, 1906, Pittsfield, Massachusetts: The City of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1904, p. 33.
^Municipal Register of the City of Pittsfield for 1907: Containing City Officers and Committees, Mayor's Address, Reports of Officers and Committees, and the Receipts and Expenditures for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31st, 1906, Pittsfield, Massachusetts: The City of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, 1904, p. 412.