- Edward A. Perry
Infobox Governor
name = Edward Aylesworth Perry
order = 14th
office = Governor of Florida
term_start = January 7, 1885
term_end = January 8, 1889
lieutenant =
predecessor =William D. Bloxham
successor =Francis P. Fleming
birth_date = March 15, 1831
birth_place =Richmond, Massachusetts
death_date = October 15, 1889
death_place =Kerrville, Texas
party = Democratic
spouse =
profession =
religion =Edward Aylesworth Perry (March 15, 1831ndash October 15, 1889) was a general under
Robert E. Lee during theAmerican Civil War and the fourteenth governor ofFlorida .Biography
Born in
Richmond, Massachusetts , Perry moved toGreenville, Alabama in 1853, after briefly attendingYale University . In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hillary Herbert (who was a hero at Gettysburg and Secretary of the Navy under Grover Cleveland). He soon moved toPensacola, Florida and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge forEscambia County, Florida , from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Herbert Taylor on February 1, 1859, a cousin of Hillary Herbert.During the Civil War, he fought with distinction for the Confederacy, rising from the rank of private to brigadier general. In May 1861, he enlisted in Company A of the 2nd Florida Infantry and was elected as its captain. A year later, he was elected colonel of the
regiment .In June 1862, he was wounded during the fight at Glendale during the
Peninsula Campaign and furloughed. On August 28, 1862, he was appointed as a brigadier general in the Provisional Army of the Confederacy and returned to active duty the following year. He led an all-Florida brigade in theArmy of Northern Virginia at theBattle of Chancellorsville , but was stricken withtyphoid fever and missed theGettysburg Campaign , where Col. David Lang commanded Perry's Brigade.Perry returned to the Army of Northern Virginia to command his brigade for the
Bristoe Campaign in the fall of 1863. However, he was severely wounded in the fighting at the Wilderness on 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 theInvalid Corps .He returned to Florida and became a prominent lawyer and Democratic state politician. Elected governor in 1884, he assumed office on January 7, 1885. During his administration,
Florida adopted a newconstitution and established the stateboard of education . He was an outspoken opponent of thecarpetbagger s.His antebellum home is now the
Scottish Rite Temple in downtown Pensacola and the Confederate Monument on Palafox Street bears a plaque honoring his wife, Wathen Herbert Taylor, who raised the funds for its erection. After leaving office on January 8, 1889, he returned home to Pensacola. He died suddenly of astroke while visitingKerrville, Texas later that year, aged 58.He and his wife are buried in St. John's Cemetery in
Pensacola, Florida .External links
* [http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/museum/collections/governors/about.cfm?id=21 Official Governor's portrait and biography from the State of Florida]
* [http://www.civilwarflorida.com/site/soldiers/soldier_detail.php?soldierREF=245 Civil War Florida]
* [http://www.aphillcsa.com/perry.html Perry bio]Persondata
NAME= Perry, Edward A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Confederate Army general
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=
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