Charles Henry Berry (September 12, 1823 – August 21, 1900), widely known as C. H. Berry, was an American politician and jurist who served as the first

Minnesota Attorney General The attorney general of Minnesota is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. State of Minnesota. Thirty individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Keith Ellison, a DFLer. Electi ...

after statehood and as one of the last justices of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court.

Biography

Berry was born in Westerly, Rhode Island, the son of Samuel Foster and Lucy (née Stanton) Berry. He moved to

Caton, New York Caton is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,046 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Richard Caton. The Town of Caton is in the southeast part of the county, south of Corning. History Caton was ...

, at the age of four, then to Maine, New York in 1838 to attend an academy. He attended

Canandaigua Academy Canandaigua Academy is a high school (grades 9-12) in Canandaigua, New York, United States. It is part of the Canandaigua City School District. The school was named a national Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education ...

from 1843 to 1846, then studied law under

Elbridge G. Lapham Elbridge Gerry Lapham (October 18, 1814January 8, 1890) was a U.S. Senator from New York from 1881–1885. Life Lapham attended the public schools and the Canandaigua Academy. He studied civil engineering and law and was admitted to the ba ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1848. He then practiced law in Corning, New York, until 1855. He married Frances Eliza Hubbell in Corning in 1850, and they would have one daughter. He moved to

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota, the seat of Wi ...

, Minnesota Territory, in 1855. In 1857, he was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

as Minnesota's first state

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

, and served from May 24, 1858, to January 1860. He also served in the Minnesota Senate from 1874 to 1876. He was instrumental in the establishment of Winona State Normal School, and served as its resident director from 1885 to 1887. On July 9, 1888, President Grover Cleveland nominated Berry to be Associate Justice of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court, and he was confirmed by the senate ten days later. Following Idaho's statehood, per the

Idaho Constitution Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, he remained in office until the state's supreme court justices were elected in October 1890. He died in Winona on August 21, 1900.

Notes

1823 births 1900 deaths People from Westerly, Rhode Island People from Winona, Minnesota Minnesota lawyers Minnesota state senators Minnesota attorneys general Associate justices of the Idaho Territorial Supreme Court New York (state) lawyers Winona State University 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Minnesota politicians {{Minnesota-politician-stub