Edward A. Perry
Edward Aylesworth Perry | |
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14thGovernor of Florida | |
In office January 7, 1885 – January 8, 1889 | |
Lieutenant | Milton H. Mabry |
Preceded by | William D. Bloxham |
Succeeded by | Francis P. Fleming |
Judge of theEscambiaCounty Court | |
In office 1857–1861 | |
Personal details | |
Born | March 15, 1831 Richmond, Massachusetts,US |
Died | October 15, 1889 Kerrville, Texas,US | (aged 58)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Wathen Virginia Taylor Perry |
Signature | ![]() |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1861–65 |
Rank | ![]() |
Commands | Perry's Florida Brigade |
Campaigns | American Civil War |
Edward Aylesworth Perry(March 15, 1831 – October 15, 1889) was a general underRobert E. Leeduring theAmerican Civil Warand the14th GovernorofFlorida.
Early life
[edit]He was a descendant of Arthur Perry, one of the earliest settlers of New England.[1]His parents were farmers, Asa and Philura Perry, and he was the fourth of five children.[1]
Born inRichmond, Massachusetts,Perry briefly attendedYale Universitybefore moving toGreenville, Alabamain 1853. In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hilary Herbert, who later served as a colonel in theConfederate States Army,a U.S. congressman from Alabama, and Secretary of the Navy under PresidentGrover Cleveland.Perry soon moved toPensacola, Florida,and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge forEscambia County, Florida,from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Virginia Taylor of Greenville, Alabama, on February 1, 1859, the daughter of Hubbard Bonner Taylor and Marjorie Catherine Herbert Taylor, and a granddaughter of Dr. Hilary Herbert, one of the earliest settlers of Butler County, Alabama. Mrs. Perry was also a cousin of theHilary A. Herbert,with whom he studied law in Alabama.
American Civil War
[edit]During theCivil War,Perry fought with distinction for theConfederacy,rising from the rank ofprivatetobrigadier general.[citation needed]In May 1861, he enlisted in the "Pensacola Rifle Rangers",[2]which was later designated Company A of the 2nd Florida Infantry, and was elected as its captain. A year later, he was electedcolonelof theregiment.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Perry%2C_E._A.%2C_General%2C_Confederacy%2C_Florida_Brigade_Commander%2C_Civil_war.jpg/220px-Perry%2C_E._A.%2C_General%2C_Confederacy%2C_Florida_Brigade_Commander%2C_Civil_war.jpg)
In June 1862, he was wounded during the fight atGlendaleduring thePeninsula Campaignand furloughed. On August 28, 1862, Perry was appointed as abrigadier generalin theProvisional Army of the Confederacyand returned to active duty the following year. He led anall-Florida brigadein theArmy of Northern Virginiaat theBattle of Chancellorsville,but was stricken withtyphoid feverand missed theGettysburg Campaign,where Col.David Langcommanded Perry's Brigade.[4]
Perry returned to the Army of Northern Virginia to command his brigade for theBristoe Campaignin the fall of 1863. He was severely wounded in the fighting at theWildernesson May 6, 1864. He briefly returned to the trenches during theSiege of Petersburg,but had not recovered sufficiently for active duty. Hence, he was sent to Alabama for the duration of the war, serving on reserve duty in the Confederate Invalid Corps.
Aftermath; Governor
[edit]He returned to Florida and became a prominent lawyer andDemocraticstate politician. Elected governor in 1884, he assumed office on January 7, 1885. During his administration,Floridaadopted a newconstitutionand established the stateboard of education.He was an outspoken opponent of "carpetbaggers".
Perry was active in theScottish RiteofFreemasonry.His antebellum home became theScottish Rite Templein downtown Pensacola.[5]
The Confederate Monument on Palafox Street bears a plaque honoring his wife, Wathen Virginia Taylor Perry, who raised the funds for its erection.[citation needed]After leaving office on January 8, 1889, he returned home toPensacola.[citation needed]In later years, the property was sold for $2.53 million to the adjacent FirstUnited Methodist Church,and fund raising for renovations are in place.[citation needed]
He died suddenly of astrokewhile visitingKerrville, Texas,in 1889, aged 58.[4]He and his wife are buried in St. John's Cemetery inPensacola, Florida.[4]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^abPrince, Jr., Sigsbee C. (1951). "Edward A. Perry, Yankee General of the Florida Brigade".The Florida Historical Quarterly.29(3). Florida Historical Society: 197–205.JSTOR30138822.
- ^Roberston, F. L. (1903)."Soldiers of Florida in the Seminole Indian-Civil and Spanish–American Wars. Live Oak, Florida: Democrat Print".Archive.org.RetrievedOctober 28,2021.
- ^"Engraved portrait of General Edward Aylsworth Perry".Floridamemory.RetrievedOctober 28,2021.
- ^abcGoellnitz, Jen (1997–2010)."Biography of General Edward Aylesworth Perry" And Then A.P. Hill Came Up.RetrievedOctober 23,2011.
- ^"Former Governor Perry's home - Pensacola, Florida".floridamemory /.State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.RetrievedAugust 16,2023.
References
[edit]- Allardice, Bruce S.Confederate Colonels: A Biographical Register.Columbia:University of Missouri Press,2008.ISBN978-0-8262-1809-4
- Allardice, Bruce S.More Generals in Gray.Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1995.ISBN978-0-8071-3148-0.
- Eicher, John H., andDavid J. Eicher,Civil War High Commands.Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001.ISBN978-0-8047-3641-1.
- Sifakis, Stewart.Who Was Who in the Civil War.New York: Facts On File, 1988.ISBN978-0-8160-1055-4.
- Warner, Ezra J.Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders.Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959.ISBN978-0-8071-0823-9.
External links
[edit]- Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida
- Civil War FloridaArchivedJune 14, 2006, at theWayback Machine
- Goellnitz, Jen (1997–2010)."Biography of General Edward Aylesworth Perry" And Then A.P. Hill Came Up.RetrievedOctober 23,2011.
- Edward A. PerryatFind a Grave
- 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment
- American people of Welsh descent
- Democratic Party governors of Florida
- Confederate States Army brigadier generals
- People of Florida in the American Civil War
- Florida state court judges
- Florida lawyers
- People from Richmond, Massachusetts
- People from Pensacola, Florida
- 1831 births
- 1889 deaths
- People from Greenville, Alabama
- 19th-century American judges
- 19th-century American lawyers
- Northern-born Confederates
- Military personnel from Massachusetts