Perry was born in the
Basking Ridge section of
Bernards Township, New Jersey in 1825, the sixth son of Samuel Perry. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1848. He began a legal practice at
New Hampton before moving to
Flemington. In Flemington, he became editor and publisher of
The Hunterdon County Democrat, a weekly newspaper. He gave up ownership and editorship of
The Democrat in 1854. In 1859, Perry was elected to the
New Jersey Senate, representing
Hunterdon County as a
Democrat. As Senate President, Perry officially received
Abraham Lincoln when he passed through
Trenton on February 21, 1861, en route to
Washington, D.C. for his first inauguration. When the
Civil War began in April 1861, Perry expressed the state's support for the war effort: "Our duty is clear. New Jersey has never failed or faltered in her constitutional obligations; she will not do so now." Perry served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee for two years. In 1866, he was appointed judge of the
New Jersey Court of Common Pleas. He died in 1878 at the age of 53 and was buried at
Mount Pleasant Cemetery in
Newark. ==References==