Joseph Sam Perry
Joseph Sam Perry | |
---|---|
Elwyn Riley Shaw | |
Succeeded by | William J. Bauer |
Personal details | |
Born | Joseph Samuel Perry November 30, 1896 ) |
Joseph Samuel Perry (November 30, 1896 – February 18, 1984) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Early life and education
Born in
Professional career
Perry worked in private law practice in
He served as the Chairman of the Democratic Party of DuPage County for a time in the 1930s.[4]
Federal judicial service
Perry was nominated by President
Notable cases
During his tenure, Perry presided over a large number of high-profile trials, including an 18-month-long wrongful-death suit initiated by the survivors and family members of two members of the Black Panther Party who were killed during a 1969 raid on the group's headquarters. At the end of the trial, which at that time was the longest trial before a federal court jury in United States history, Perry dismissed all charges against law enforcement officials who had been sued for $47 million in a wrongful-death suit when jurors could not reach a verdict. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit eventually overturned Perry and ordered a new trial, but an out-of-court settlement eventually was reached.[1] Perry presided over Harold Washington's trial for not filing taxes in which he was sympathetic to Washington's error.[5]
Mastodon discovery
On October 16, 1963, a man named Marshall Erb (1910–1989) was excavating a pond in the back yard of Perry's house, at 683 Riford Road in Glen Ellyn, Illinois when Erb found a large, 42-inch bone.[6] The bone was taken to a geologist at Wheaton College in nearby Wheaton, who judged it to be the fossilized bone of a prehistoric mastodon that became extinct more than 8,000 years ago. Diggers uncovered more bones, and Perry then gave Wheaton College permission to excavate the site. Geologists eventually found more than 100 of the mastodon's 211 bones, including the complete skull with well-preserved teeth.[6] Geologists eventually reassembled the mastodon skeleton, and it is now on display at Wheaton College's Meyer Science Center.[7][8]
The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County purchased much of Perry's 10-acre (40,000 m2) estate in 1995 for $312,500.[9]
Death
Perry died on February 18, 1984, at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois.[1] Perry was survived by his wife, Nelle, and two children.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "Joseph Sam Perry, U. S. District judge". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
- ^ a b c Joseph Samuel Perry at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "People Ex Rel. Perry v. Koerner, 365 Ill. 521 (Ill. 1937)". Ravel. February 8, 1937. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ "Party Chairmen are Elected in Three Counties". Chicago Daily Tribune. April 26, 1938. p. 7 – via ProQuest.
- Sangamon State University. p. 13. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
- ^ a b "DEC63.htm". www.asa3.org.
- ^ "MYSTERIOUS WORLD: Winter 1998: Fragments". www.mysteriousworld.com.
- ^ "Perry Mastodon | Wheaton". Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
- ^ "District Will Buy Mastodon Pond". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
Sources
- Joseph Samuel Perry at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.