Dewey H. Perry (June 6, 1898 - October 21, 1970) was an American law enforcement officer from Vermont. He was most notable for his service as

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

for the

District of Vermont The United States District Court for the District of Vermont (in case citations, D. Vt.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the federal district of Vermont. The court has locations in Brattleboro, Burlington, and Rutland. The ...

from 1954 to 1961.

Early life

Dewey Howard Perry was born in

Westford, Vermont Westford is a New England town, town in Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,062 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The area that is today described as Westford, Vermont or ...

on June 6, 1898, the son of Charles M. Perry and Etta (Howard) Perry. He attended public schools in

St. Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major town on the old Roman ro ...

, Fairfax and Underhill Vermont, and

Holliston, Massachusetts Holliston is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States in the Greater Boston area. The population was 14,996 at the 2020 census. It is located in MetroWest, a Massachusetts region that is ...

. He graduated from

Norwich Free Academy The Norwich Free Academy (NFA), founded in 1854 and in operation since 1856, is a coeducational independent school for students between the 9th and 12th grade. Located in Norwich, Connecticut, the Academy serves as the primary high school for Norw ...

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

. In 1917, he returned to Vermont to accept employment with

American Express American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation specialized in payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The company was found ...

Essex Junction, Vermont Essex Junction is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 10,590. It was incorporated as a village on November 15, 1892. Essex Junction became Vermont’s 10th city on July 1, 2022. Am ...

Career

In 1926, Perry accepted a position as a special agent for the

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

, a position he held until 1930. From 1931 to 1941 he was the owner and operator of the Depot Restaurant in Essex Junction. In addition to managing the restaurant in partnership with his wife, Perry served as Deputy Sheriff of Chittenden County. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, in 1942 Perry won the election for

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

. He served in this position until 1954. Perry resigned as sheriff in order to accept appointment as Vermont's U.S. Marshal, succeeding Edward L. Burke. He served until 1961, and was succeeded by Thomas W. Sorrell. After leaving the marshal's office, Perry was appointed chief of the Essex Junction Police Department. He served as chief until 1968, after which he was appointed as the department's dispatcher. Perry retired in November 1969 and resided in Essex Junction.

Death and burial

In his final months, Perry suffered from a long illness. He died at the hospital in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

on October 21, 1970. Perry was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Essex Junction.

Personal life

In 1929, Perry married Irene Mae Thibault (1904-1982). In addition to his wife, Perry was survived by an aunt, an uncle, and a cousin. He was a member of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, Ethan Allen Club,

Lions Clubs International The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

, and

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

. As a member of the

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, Perry advanced through the

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the Sco ...

's ranks to attain the 32nd degree.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Dewey H. 1898 births 1970 deaths People from Westford, Vermont People from Essex, Vermont Vermont Republicans United States Marshals Burials in Vermont