Montgomery P. Berry

Montgomery P. Berry
Berry with his second wife, Jane Eddon Berry
10th Commander of the Department of Alaska
In office
June 14, 1877 – August 13, 1877
PresidentRutherford B. Hayes
Preceded byArthur Morris
Succeeded byHenry Charles DeAhna
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1847-1848
1861-1865
Rank Major
Battles/wars

Montgomery Pike Berry (c. 1828 — December 28, 1898) was a collector of customs for the United States Department of the Treasury.[1] From June 14, 1877, to August 13, 1877, he was the highest-ranking federal official in the Department of Alaska, making him the de facto governor of the territory.[2]

Berry was born in Kentucky, and served in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War, rising to the rank of Major.[3] He was also sheriff of Grant County, Oregon and Superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary before President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him as collector of customs in March 1874. He lived in Sitka, Alaska until his death.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Maj. Montgomery Pike Berry, (USA)". Geni. May 23, 2018.
  2. ^ "U.S. States A-D".
  3. ^ Venn, George (2005). "Soldier to Advocate: C. E. S. Wood's 1877 Diary of Alaska and the Nez Perce Conflict". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 106 (1): 34–75. ISSN 0030-4727.
  4. ^ "New Notes from Sitka's Past". Daily Sitka Sentinel. Sitka, Alaska. December 14, 1990. p. 6.