Peter G. Gerry
Encyclopedia
Peter Goelet Gerry was an American lawyer
and politician
. He was a U.S. Senator
from Rhode Island
.
, the son of Elbridge Thomas Gerry
(1837–1927) and Louisa Matilda Livingston Gerry (1836–?), and the great grandson of Elbridge Gerry
(1744–1814), the fifth Vice President of the United States
(who had given his name to the term gerrymandering
).
In the summer of 1899, Gerry and his brother Robert were tutor
ed by William Lyon Mackenzie King
, who later became the Prime Minister of Canada
.http://www.collectionscanada.ca/king/053201/053201130104_e.html Gerry graduated from Harvard University
in 1901. He studied law and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1906. Gerry married Mathilde Townsend, a wealthy Washington society woman, in 1910. They divorced in 1925. Gerry later married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser (1873–1958), the widow of George Washington Vanderbilt II
(1862–1914).
for Rhode Island's 2nd District as a Democrat
from 1913 to 1915. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1914 but he was elected to the United States Senate
in 1916 and served from 1917 to 1929. From 1919 to 1929, Gerry was the Democratic Whip
. He has been described as a Wilsonian Moralist. In 1928 he was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election, but in 1934 he was again elected to the U.S Senate over the man who had defeated him six years earlier and served until 1947. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1946.
Gerry died on October 31, 1957 and was buried at St James Cemetery
, Hyde Park, New York
.
Law of the United States
The law of the United States consists of many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States...
and politician
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
. He was a U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
Early life
Gerry was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the son of Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry was an American reformer.-Biography:In 1860 he was admitted to the New York State Bar Association. He became an adviser to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals...
(1837–1927) and Louisa Matilda Livingston Gerry (1836–?), and the great grandson of Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry was an American statesman and diplomat. As a Democratic-Republican he was selected as the fifth Vice President of the United States , serving under James Madison, until his death a year and a half into his term...
(1744–1814), the fifth Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
(who had given his name to the term gerrymandering
Gerrymandering
In the process of setting electoral districts, gerrymandering is a practice that attempts to establish a political advantage for a particular party or group by manipulating geographic boundaries to create partisan, incumbent-protected districts...
).
In the summer of 1899, Gerry and his brother Robert were tutor
Tutor
A tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
ed by William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, who later became the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
.http://www.collectionscanada.ca/king/053201/053201130104_e.html Gerry graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1901. He studied law and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1906. Gerry married Mathilde Townsend, a wealthy Washington society woman, in 1910. They divorced in 1925. Gerry later married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser (1873–1958), the widow of George Washington Vanderbilt II
George Washington Vanderbilt II
George Washington Vanderbilt II was a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family, which had amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He built and owned Biltmore, the largest home in the United States.-Biography:The eighth son and youngest...
(1862–1914).
Political career
Gerry was elected to the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Rhode Island's 2nd District as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from 1913 to 1915. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1914 but he was elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1916 and served from 1917 to 1929. From 1919 to 1929, Gerry was the Democratic Whip
Assistant party leaders of the United States Senate
The Assistant Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate are the second-ranking members of the party leadership of the United States Senate....
. He has been described as a Wilsonian Moralist. In 1928 he was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election, but in 1934 he was again elected to the U.S Senate over the man who had defeated him six years earlier and served until 1947. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1946.
Gerry died on October 31, 1957 and was buried at St James Cemetery
St James Cemetery
St James's Cemetery is an urban park behind the Liverpool Cathedral that is below ground level. Until 1825, the space was a stone quarry, and until 1936 it was used as the Liverpool city cemetery. It has been designated a Grade I Historic Park by English Heritage.-History:The workings and...
, Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
.
External links
- Schlup, Leonard, "Wilsonian Moralist: Senator Peter G. Gerry and the Crusade for the League of Nations," Rhode Island History 58 (February 2000)
- The Diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King
- References to Peter Gerry and Robert Gerry in Mackenzie King diary