James Henderson Berry

Infobox Governor
name = James Henderson Berry


order = 14th
office = Governor of Arkansas
term_start = 1883
term_end = 1885
lieutenant =
predecessor = Thomas James Churchill
successor = Simon Pollard Hughes, Jr.
birth_date = May 15, 1841
birth_place = Jackson County, Alabama
death_date = death date and age|1913|1|30|1841|5|15
death_place = Bentonville, Arkansas
party = Democratic
spouse =
profession =
religion =

James Henderson Berry (15 May 1841 - 30 January 1913) was a Democratic United States Senator and served as Governor of the State of Arkansas.

James Henderson Berry was born in Jackson County, Alabama. Berry moved with his family to Arkansas in 1848. Berry attended Berryville Academy for one year. He studied law and in 1866 was admitted to the Arkansas bar.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War Berry joined the Confederate Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the 16th Arkansas Infantry. Berry lost his right leg during the Battle of Corinth in northern Mississippi. After recuperating from his wound he worked as a school teacher and started a private law practice.

Berry was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 1866. He was reelected in 1872 and in 1874. In his last term he was selected to be Speaker of the House. 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, 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 Hill Garland. Berry remained in the U.S. Senate for the next 22 years. In 1910 he accepted a position with the Arkansas History Commission to mark the graves of all Arkansas Confederate soldiers who had died in northern prisons.

James H. Berry died in Bentonville, Arkansas. Berry is buried at the Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Bentonville, Arkansas.

External links

* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry: [http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=88 James Henderson Berry]