Nehemiah Perry

Who was Nehemiah Perry?

Nehemiah Perry was an American clerk, cloth manufacturer and Democratic Party politician who represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1865.

Born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, Perry was educated there at Wesleyan Seminary. He clerked in a store in Norwalk, Connecticut and another in New York City. He moved to Newark, New Jersey in 1836 and engaged in manufacturing cloth and other work in the clothing business. He was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly in 1850 and 1856, serving as Speaker of the Assembly in the latter year. He was a member of the Newark Common Council in 1852.

Perry was elected a Democrat to Congress in 1860, serving from 1861 to 1865, not being a candidate for renomination in 1864. Afterwards, Perry resumed former manufacturing pursuits and was mayor of Newark, New Jersey in 1873. He died in Newark on November 1, 1881 and was interred in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.