John Hoyt Perry

John Hoyt Perry (July 26, 1848 – September 2, 1928) was a lawyer, judge and politician from Southport, Connecticut. He served in both chambers of the Connecticut General Assembly and was the speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1889.

Early life John Hoyt Perry was born on July 26, 1848, in Southport, Connecticut, to Harriet Elizabeth (née Hoyt) and Oliver Henry Perry. He attended Hawley Olmstead's Academy in Wilton. John H. Perry was a member of Skull and Bones at Yale University and graduated in 1870 with a Bachelor of Arts. He later received a master's degree from Yale in 1873. Perry graduated from Columbia Law School with a Bachelor of Laws in 1872.

Perry was a Republican. Perry was elected as speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1889. He was appointed by President William McKinley as an agent for the United States and Chilean Claims Commission in 1900. In June 1903, Perry was appointed as a commissioner of the Connecticut State Police. He served again as police commissioner from 1913 to 1917. By 1919, Perry was serving as president of the board of commissioners.

Starting in 1909, Perry worked with a commission to push legislation in Connecticut to have a direct primary, a system of election that had become popular in other states in the country at the time. In 1913, Perry served as a member of the Connecticut Senate, representing the 25th District. Perry was elected to the Fairfield school board in October 1923. He resigned from the school committee in March 1924. Perry served as a director of the Hartford Retreat, president of the Southport Savings Bank and director of the Southport Trust Company.

In 1912, Perry was injured in an automotive accident after jumping out of the car prior to a head-on collision. Perry died on September 2, 1928, at a summer camp in Averill, Vermont.