Lucius Herbert Merrill was born on October 1, 1857, in Auburn, Androscoggin County, Maine.

He was a scientist and educator. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1883. From 1885 to1887, he worked as an assistant curator at the Department of Lithology and Physical Geography in the U.S. National Museum. He joined the University of Maine Experiment Station in 1887 as an analytical chemist and stayed in this position until 1896. In 1888, he was appointed instructor of Biological Chemistry in the College of Agriculture. He was later appointed Professor of Biological Chemistry and Agricultural Chemistry. Towards the end of his career, he was a Professor of Geology and Economic Geology. In 1908, he was awarded a Doctorate of Science from the University of Maine. In 1929, Dr. Merrill was appointed State Geologist. He retired Emeritus from the University of Maine in 1931.

In 1893, he married Lydia Maria Buffum (1854-1907) and in 1910, he married Annie Clifford Moore (1880-1972). He died on January 27, 1935, in Orono, Penobscot County, Maine.