Perry was born in Racine, Wisconsin.[1] His parents at that time were residents of Algoma, Wisconsin. He attended public school until age 14, and then went to work as a carpenter and millwright, and was contracted to build homes in Kewaunee, Algoma, and Sturgeon Bay. In 1886, he went to Milwaukee to look for work, but instead ended up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where he was employed in a factory and rose to become superintendent.[2][3]
He returned to Algoma in 1892, gathered investors, and started the Ahnapee Veneer and Seating Co.[3] The business flourished, growing from 30 to 800 employees, and Perry was soon overseeing factories in Algoma and Birchwood.[2] The company was later renamed the Algoma Plywood and Veneer Company. He operated it for over 40 years before selling the business to the U.S. Plywood Company in 1941.[3]
In the spring election of 1910, he was elected mayor of Algoma and ultimately served four years in that office. In the fall of 1910, he was also elected to a four-year term in the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 1st State Senate district. The 1st Senate district, at that time, comprised all of Door, Kewaunee, and Marinette counties in the northeast corner of Wisconsin.[2] He was re-elected to the Senate in 1914, but was defeated in a primary challenge when he ran for a third term in 1918.[4]
Personal life and family
Melvin Perry was a son of William and Sophronia (née Beech) Perry. William Perry operated a chair-making factory in Algoma.[3]
Melvin Perry married Mary Josephine Esser on September 27, 1891.[3] They had two sons. Their younger son, Ralph H. Perry, was captain of Company F in the 128th U.S. Infantry Regiment during World War I. He was badly wounded in the Meuse–Argonne offensive on November 10, 1918—the day before the armistice—and died twelve days later.[5]
In 1924, Perry granted a large tract of land to the city of Algoma to create the "Ralph Perry Athletic Field". The Perry Field is still in use as a recreational park in Algoma.[6]
Perry's surviving son, William, moved to Delray Beach, Florida. In his old age, Perry went to live with his son in Florida. He died in Delray Beach on February 18, 1951, after about three years of poor health.[7][3]
