Edward A. Perry

Edward Aylesworth Perry (March 15, 1831October 15, 1889) was a general under Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War and the 14th Governor of Florida. Early life He was a descendant of Arthur Perry, one of the earliest settlers of New England. His parents were farmers, Asa and Philura Perry, and he was the fourth of five children. Born in Richmond, Massachusetts, Perry briefly attended Yale University before moving to Greenville, Alabama in 1853. In Alabama, he taught and studied law with Hilary Herbert, who later served as a colonel in the Confederate States Army, a U.S. congressman from Alabama, and Secretary of the Navy under President Grover Cleveland. Perry soon moved to Pensacola, Florida, and passed the bar exam. He served as a judge for Escambia County, Florida, from 1857 through 1861. He married Wathen Virginia Taylor of Greenville, Alabama, on February 1, 1859, the daughter of Hubbard Bonner Taylor and Marjorie Catherine Herbert Taylor, and a granddaughter of Dr. Hilary Herbert, one of the earliest settlers of Butler County, Alabama. Mrs. Perry was also a cousin of the Hilary A. Herbert, with whom he studied law in Alabama. American Civil War During the Civil War, Perry fought with distinction for the Confederacy, rising from the rank of private to brigadier general. In May 1861, he enlisted in the "Pensacola Rifle Rangers", which was later designated Company A of the 2nd Florida Infantry, and was elected as its captain. A year later, he was elected colonel of the regiment.