Early Life
He was a descendant of Arthur Perry, one of the earliest settlers of New England. His parents were farmers, Asa and Philura Perry, and he was the fourth of five children.
Born in Richmond, Massachusetts, Perry moved to Greenville, Alabama in 1853, after briefly attending Yale University. In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hillary Herbert (who was a hero at the Battle of Gettysburg and Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland). He soon moved to Pensacola, Florida and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge for Escambia County, Florida, from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Virginia Taylor on February 1, 1859, a granddaughter of Hilary Herbert and a cousin of the Hilary A. Herbert who was a Confederate Army colonel and served in the Cleveland administration as Secretary of the Navy.
Read more about this topic: Edward A. Perry
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