Eli Perry
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Eli Perry (December 25, 1799 – May 17, 1881) was an American and businessman from
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
. He became wealthy as the operator of a successful meatpacking enterprise, and later invested in several other ventures. Perry was most notable for his service as a
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
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, an office he held for two terms, 1871 to 1875. A
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, he was a member of the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
in 1851, and served as
Mayor of Albany In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
from 1851 to 1854, 1856 to 1860, and 1862 to 1866.


Early life

Eli Perry was born in
Cambridge, New York Cambridge is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Washington County, New York, Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 1,952 at the 2020 cen ...
on December 25, 1799, a son of John Perry and Jeannie (Searles) Perry. After his mother's death and father's remarriage, Perry's family moved from their Cambridge farm, first to a farm in Johnstown, then to Albany, where they owned and operated a tavern at the corner of what are now
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and Swan Street. Eli Perry was educated in the local schools and assisted his family in operating the tavern. During the
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, John Perry obtained a contract to supply beef and other food to the
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. Eli Perry aided his father in fulfilling the contract, which gave him the knowledge and contacts to enter the business world on his own.


Business career

After Perry's father completed the terms of his contract with the government, Perry obtained employment with Elisha Wilcox, who operated a tavern in a mansion that had been occupied by
Daniel D. Tompkins Daniel D. Tompkins (June 21, 1774 – June 11, 1825) was an American politician. He was the fourth Governor of New York from 1807 to 1817, and the sixth Vice President of the United States from 1817 to 1825. Born in Scarsdale, New York, Tompkin ...
when Tompkins served as
governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...
. In addition to helping support the family, Perry saved fourteen dollars over the course of the year he worked for Wilcox, which became the capital he used to start his own business. Perry started a meatpacking venture by procuring use of the corner of a local grocery store, where he set up a butcher's stall. He then rented a local stable, which he used for slaughtering the cattle and sheep he purchased from local farmers. He began by buying, slaughtering, butchering, and selling locally one animal at a time. Perry eventually earned enough to buy a horse and wagon, which enabled him to expand his customer base by selling to homes and businesses in the towns surrounding Albany. As his business continued to grow, Perry was able to move to permanent quarters at the corner of Washington Avenue and Swan Street, near his father's tavern. Recognizing that meatpacking would become an important industry as canals and railroads made it possible to transport food over longer distances, Perry continued to expand until he employed dozens of workers and processed more than 100 animals each day. Perry's profits continued to grow, and he began to invest in other ventures, including commercial real estate. In addition, he became a director of the Albany City Bank, Albany City Savings Bank, Albany Gaslight Company, Mutual Insurance Company of Albany, and Albany Savings Bank. Perry also participated in Albany's civic life. He was president of the Emmanuel Baptist Church's board of trustees, and he made substantial donations to the church throughout his life. In addition, he served on the board of inspectors for the Albany Penitentiary. Perry also served as a member of the city's board of school commissioners for more than twenty years, and was a principal organizer of the city's first orphan asylum.


Political career

Perry was active in politics as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
. In 1845, he was elected to Albany's board of aldermen, and he served for two years. In 1850, he was elected to represent Albany in the
New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...
, and he served a one-year term in 1851. In 1851, Perry was elected
mayor of Albany In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
and he served from 1851 to 1854. He returned to the mayor's office in 1856 and served until 1860. In 1862, he was elected mayor again, and he served until 1866. Perry supported the Union during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. During his third term as mayor, a strike by workers of the
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threatened the safety of the city and had the potential to delay or prevent delivery of troops and materiel to the front lines. Rather than respond with force, as many of Albany's business and civic leaders suggested, Perry personally visited the city's railyard to seek out the organizers of the strike. Perry informed the leaders that as mayor he was obligated to enforce the law and would employ force if necessary, and also gave his word that their concerns would be addressed if they dispersed. The railroad's workers and management came to agreement and the strike ended. At the final meeting of the striking workers, they passed resolutions of thanks to Perry for his efforts to mediate the dispute. During the war, Perry was head of the city committee that supported the Union by organizing recruiting and fundraising efforts. He was one of the primary recruiters of Company B,
91st New York Infantry Regiment The 91st New York Infantry Regiment was a state infantry regiment formed during the American Civil War from counties around Albany, New York. Service The unit was first sent to Key West, Florida, then to Fort Pickens, Florida, near Pensacola, Flo ...
, which was commanded by
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George W. Stackhouse, who had worked for Perry before the war. Perry also took part in recruiting and equipping the 43rd New York Infantry Regiment, and his visits to Virginia to ensure the soldiers' needs were being met caused the regiment's Company B to pass a resolution naming themselves the Perry Guards.


Congressman

In 1870, Perry was a successful Democratic candidate for Congress. He was reelected in 1872 and served two terms, March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1875. Perry served in the 42nd and 43rd Congresses, and was a member of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. During his Congressional service, Perry was active in obtaining benefits for Civil War veterans and pensions for widows of soldiers who had died during the war. As a member of Congress, Perry also worked to obtain approval of a
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reform school for girls. His career in Congress culminated with approval of his bill to authorize construction of a new federal office building for Albany, which was constructed at the corner of
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and State Street.


Later life

After his Congressional service, Perry returned to his Albany business interests.


Death and burial

He died in Albany on May 17, 1881. Perry was buried at
Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Menands, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical ...
. In his will, Perry left bequests to numerous civic, religious, and charitable organizations. These included: * $4,000 to the Emmanuel Baptist Church * $1,000 to the Emmanuel Baptist Church's Sunday school * $5,000 to the Albany Guardian Society and Home of the Friendless * $1,000 to the Albany Hospital * $1,000 to St. Peter's Hospital * $1,000 to the Albany Baptist Missionary Union * $10,000 to endow a professorship at the Rochester Theological Seminary * One-fifth of the residue of his estate to endow a professorship at Hamilton Theological Seminary * One-fifth to the Hudson River Baptist Association, North * One fifth to the
American Baptist Home Mission Society The American Baptist Home Mission Society is a Christian missionary society. Its main predecessor the Home Mission Society was established in New York City in 1832 to operate in the American frontier, with the stated mission "to preach the Gospe ...
of
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* One-fifth to the American Baptist Union of Boston The remaining one-fifth was used to provide personal bequests and satisfy other obligations.


Family

Perry was married three times. His first wife was Eliza Clark. After her death, Perry was married to Lydia (Smith) Collin. After her death, Perry married Matilda Caroline Todd. With his first wife, Perry was the father of four children, son Oliver Hazard, who died at age 20, and three daughters who died in infancy. Eli Perry was a third cousin of Commodore
Oliver Hazard Perry Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785 – August 23, 1819) was a United States Navy officer from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. A prominent member of the Perry family naval dynasty, he was the son of Sarah Wallace Alexander and Captain Christo ...
.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Eli 1799 births 1881 deaths Mayors of Albany, New York Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Cambridge, New York 19th-century mayors of places in New York (state) 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives