John Edward Mercer

Born in Eccleshill near Bradford, Yorkshire, on 13 February 1857, John Edward Mercer was the son of the Rev. Edward Mercer and Mary Mercer. He won a scholarship to Rossall School in Lancashire, later attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and went on to train for the Anglican ministry.

Mercer served in English church posts before moving to Tasmania, where he became deeply involved in diocesan life. He was appointed Bishop of Tasmania in the early 20th century and was remembered as a forceful preacher, a capable organizer, and a man with wide reading interests.

He died in 1922. Some sources list his birth year as 1857 rather than 1856, so that detail appears to be reported differently across records.