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James Henderson Berry Papers

Letters and Papers, 1905 - 1913
Manuscript Collection MC 100
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JAMES HENDERSON BERRY

James Henderson Berry (15 May 1841 - 30 January 1913), attorney, was born in Jackson County, Alabama. In 1848 his family moved to Carrollton in Carroll County, Arkansas. Berry enlisted in the Confederate army in 1861 and was elected second lieutenant of Company E of the Sixteenth Arkansas Infantry. Wounds he suffered in the Battle of Corinth, Mississippi resulted in his parole from the army.

Returning to Arkansas, Berry became the youngest member of the state legislature when elected representative for Carroll County in 1866. He then served as State Representative for Benton and Washington Counties, 1872-1874; Judge for the Fourth Judicial District, 1878-1882; Governor of Arkansas, 1882-1884; and United States Senator, 1885-1907.

In 1906, Berry was defeated for re-election to the Senate by Governor Jeff Davis. Retiring to Bentonville, Berry served on the Arkansas History Commission and was active in the United Confederate Veterans. In 1910 the Secretary of War appointed him commissioner to mark the graves of Confederate soldiers who had died in Union prisons. Berry died in 1913 and was buried in City Cemetery, Bentonville.

See also "Hon. James H. Berry," by Mary C. Berry (finding aid available online).

THE COLLECTION

The material consists of thirty letters written primarily after Berry's retirement from the Senate, including one letter from President William Howard Taft (folder 4). There are also twelve miscellaneous items and seventy-five obituary notices of Berry's death. Letters and papers pertaining to James Henderson Berry were donated to Special Collections by Mrs. William E. Preston of Fort Smith, Arkansas and Dr. Paige E. Mulhollan of Manhattan, Kansas September 18, 1970.

Related material in Special Collections includes:

Processed by Leon C. Miller, February 1986. Special Collections Division, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Series 1. Correspondence September 5, 1905-November 6, 1913. 1 box.

Box 1
  1. Correspondence, September 5, 1905 - May 12, 1909. 6 items.
  2. Correspondence, November 15, 1910 - December 25, 1911. 8 items.
  3. Correspondence, January 3, 1912 - September 9, 1912.7 items.
  4. Correspondence, September 27, 1912 - November 6, 1913.7 items.
  5. Correspondence, Undated. 2 items.
  6. Miscellaneous speeches, receipts, rough drafts, etc., September 29, 1892 - February 14, 1913. 5 items.
  7. Obituary Clippings, January 31, 1913 - February 7, 1913.75 items.
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