M. W. Perry

Melvin Withington Perry (February 26, 1864 – February 18, 1951) was an American businessman and Republican politician from Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 1st State Senate district from 1911 through 1919. His name was almost always abbreviated as .

Biography Perry was born in Racine, Wisconsin. 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.

In Algoma, he became active with the Republican Party of Wisconsin and was a delegate to several state conventions in the late 1890s and early 1900s. He was elected as an alternate delegate to the 1904 Republican National Convention.

Personal life and family

Melvin Perry was a son of William and Sophronia ( Beech) Perry. William Perry operated a chair-making factory in Algoma.

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.

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.

Perry's former home in Algoma, now known as the Melvin W. and Mary Perry House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.