Jesse Mercer (1769-1841) was a prominent Baptist minister, educator, publisher, and philanthropist known known for his efforts toward promoting cooperation among Baptist in antebellum Georgia and as the namesake of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Burn in Halifax County, North Carolina in 1769, Mercer moved to Georgia as a child and was baptized in 1787 by his father, Silas Mercer. Ordained in 1789, Mercer served multiple congregations across northeast Georgia for decades, often holding long-term pastorates simultaneously. Additionally, he served multiple congregations throughout his life and was active in civic affairs, including the 1798 Georgia constitutional convention, where he supported religious liberty and the rights of clergy to hold public office. In addition to his ministerial work, Mercer was an influential publisher of religious texts and advocate for religious education. In addition to his ministerial work, Mercer was an influential publisher and advocate for religious education. He compiled The Cluster of Spiritual Songs (1810), a widely circulated Baptist hymnal, and edited the Christian Index, an early Baptist newspaper. A strong proponent of ministerial training, he supported and helped establish several educational institutions, most notably founding Mercer Institute in 1833, which later became Mercer University. He contributed substantial personal funds to its endowment and bequeathed much of his estate to educational and benevolent causes. Mercer died in 1841 in Butts County, Georgia.