Peter G. Gerry
| Peter G. Gerry | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| United States Senator from Rhode Island | |
| In office January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1947 | |
| Preceded by | Felix Hebert |
| Succeeded by | James H. McGrath |
| In office March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1929 | |
| Preceded by | Henry F. Lippitt |
| Succeeded by | Felix Hebert |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | George H. Utter |
| Succeeded by | Walter Russell Stiness |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18, 1879 New York City, New York |
| Died | October 31, 1957 (aged 78) Providence, Rhode Island |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mathilde Townsend, Edith Stuyvesant Vanderbilt |
| Profession | Attorney |
Peter Goelet Gerry (September 18, 1879 – October 31, 1957) was an American lawyer and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island.
Early life
Gerry was born in New York City, the son of Elbridge Thomas Gerry (1837–1927) and Louisa Matilda Livingston Gerry (1836–1920), and the great grandson of Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), the fifth Vice President of the United States (who had given his name to the term gerrymandering).
In the summer of 1899, Gerry and his brother Robert were tutored by William Lyon Mackenzie King, who later became the Prime Minister of Canada. Gerry graduated from Harvard University in 1901. He studied law and was admitted to the Rhode Island bar in 1906. Gerry married Mathilde Townsend, a wealthy Washington society woman, in 1910. They divorced in 1925. Gerry later married Edith Stuyvesant Dresser (1873–1958), the widow of George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862–1914).
Political career
Gerry was elected to the United States House of Representatives for Rhode Island's 2nd District as a Democrat from 1913 to 1915. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1914 but he was elected to the United States Senate in 1916 and served from 1917 to 1929. From 1919 to 1929, Gerry was the Democratic Whip. He has been described as a Wilsonian Moralist. In 1928 he was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election, but in 1934 he was again elected to the U.S Senate over the man who had defeated him six years earlier and served until 1947. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1946.
Gerry died on October 31, 1957 and was buried at St James Cemetery, Hyde Park, New York.
External links
- Peter G. Gerry at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Schlup, Leonard, "Wilsonian Moralist: Senator Peter G. Gerry and the Crusade for the League of Nations," Rhode Island History 58 (February 2000)
- The Diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King
- References to Peter Gerry and Robert Gerry in Mackenzie King diary
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by George H. Utter |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district 1913–1915 |
Succeeded by Walter Russell Stiness |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Henry F. Lippitt |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Rhode Island 1917–1929 Served alongside: LeBaron B. Colt, Jesse H. Metcalf |
Succeeded by Felix Hebert |
| Preceded by Felix Hebert |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Rhode Island 1935–1947 Served alongside: Jesse H. Metcalf, Theodore F. Green |
Succeeded by James H. McGrath |
| ||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|