Date Original
1883-1885
Description
This collection contains a letter book of outgoing correspondence from James H. Berry and Simon P. Hughes between 1883 and 1885.
Biographical/Historical Note
James Henderson Berry (1841-1913) served as Governor of Arkansas from 1883-1885. Born in Jackson County, Alabama, on May 15, 1841 Berry's family moved to Arkansas in 1848. Berry enlisted in the Confederate army, served as second lieutenant, was wounded, and lost his right leg in the battle of Corinth, Mississippi. After the war, Berry taught school and started a private law practice. He entered politics in 1866, when he was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1872, and again in 1874, when he served as speaker. Berry was chosen to chair the Democratic State Convention in 1876, and two years later was elected to the bench of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, where he served until 1882. On September 4, 1882, he was elected Governor of Arkansas. Berry was elected by the legislature to fill Senator Augustus Garland's vacancy in the Senate, and held that seat for the next 22 years. Simon P. Hughes (1830-1906) served as Governor of Arkansas, 1885-1889. Hughes was born in Smith County, Tennessee, on April 14, 1830. Educated in Tennessee, Hughes was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1857 and practiced law in Clarendon, Arkansas. During the Civil War, he enlisted and was commissioned as a captain, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Hughes first entered politics in 1853 as sheriff of Monroe County, where he served for two years. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1866 to 1867, was a delegate to the 1874 Arkansas Constitutional Convention, and Arkansas attorney general from 1874 to 1877. On September 1, 1884, Hughes was elected Governor of Arkansas. He later served on the Arkansas Supreme Court for 16 years before his death in 1906.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000635
Resource Type
Text
Collection
James H. Berry and Simon P. Hughes outgoing correspondence, MS.000635
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
James H. Berry and Simon P. Hughes outgoing correspondence, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
