James Henderson Berry (May 15, 1841 – January 30, 1913) was a

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

and served as the 14th

governor of Arkansas The governor of Arkansas is the head of government of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Arkansas government a ...

. He also served as

Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives The Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives is the speaker (presiding officer) of the Arkansas House of Representatives, the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly. They serve as the leader and head of the Arkansas House, and can ...

Early life

James Henderson Berry was born in

Jackson County, Alabama Jackson County is the northeasternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 52,579. The county seat is Scottsboro, Alabama, Scottsboro. The county was ...

, to Isabella Jane (née Orr) and James McFerrin Berry. The family moved to Arkansas in 1848. Berry attended Berryville Academy in

Berryville, Arkansas Berryville ( ) is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,682 at the 2020 census. making it the largest city in Carroll County. Along with Eureka Springs, it is one of the two county seats of Carroll County. ...

, for one year. The academy was named after his family. Berry studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and in 1866 was admitted to the Arkansas bar.

American Civil War

At the outbreak of 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 ...

, Berry joined the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

and was commissioned as a second lieutenant with Company E, 16th Arkansas Infantry. Berry lost his right leg during the Battle of Corinth in northern

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. After recuperating from his wound, he worked as a school teacher and started a private law practice.

Political career

Berry was elected to the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House has 100 members elected from an equal number of constituencies across the state. Each distr ...

in 1866. He was reelected in 1872 and in 1874. In his last term he was selected to be Speaker of the House after holding the position during the

Brooks–Baxter War The Brooks–Baxter War, also known as the Brooks–Baxter Affair, Arkansas Civil War, or the Second American Civil War was an attempt made by failed gubernatorial candidate Joseph Brooks of the “Brindle-tail” faction of Arkansas' Republ ...

in place of Charles W. Tankersley. Berry was the chairman of the Democratic State Convention in 1876. In 1878 he became a judge for the Fourth Circuit Court and served in that post until 1882 when he was elected Governor of Arkansas. The Berry administration focused on reducing the state debt and creating a state mental hospital. Berry did not run for reelection. In March 1885, Berry was selected by the legislature to fill the unexpired term of Senator Augustus H. Garland. Berry remained in the U.S. Senate for the next 22 years.

Later life

In 1910, Berry accepted a position with the Arkansas History Commission to mark the graves of all Arkansas Confederate soldiers who had died in northern prisons. Berry died in

Bentonville, Arkansas Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adjacent to the east. The city proper had a population of 54,164 at the 2020 Unite ...

, and is buried at the Knights of Pythias Cemetery (present-day Bentonville Cemetery), Bentonville, Arkansas.

Personal life

In 1865, Berry married E.Q. "Lizzie" Quaile. They had six children.

References

External links

* *Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
James Henderson Berry1905 Full Portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, James H. 1841 births 1913 deaths American amputees Arkansas lawyers American politicians with disabilities Arkansas state court judges Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party governors of Arkansas Democratic Party United States senators from Arkansas People from Jackson County, Alabama Speakers of the Arkansas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives 19th-century Arkansas state court judges 19th-century American lawyers American lawyers with disabilities 20th-century United States senators 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the Arkansas General Assembly