Jennie Iowa Berry ( Peet; also known as Mrs. John Alexander Berry; February 5, 1866 - December 18, 1951) was an American clubwoman. She served as the National President of the

Woman's Relief Corps The Woman's Relief Corps (WRC) is a charitable organization in the United States, originally founded as the official women's auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in 1883. The organization was designed to assist the GAR and p ...

Early life and education

Jennie Iowa Peet was born in

Fairview, Iowa Fairview is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Iowa, United States. Fairview is north of the junction of U.S. Route 151 and Iowa Highway 1 and is southwest of Anamosa. History The village of Fairview was laid out in 1841. Fairview's ...

, February 5, 1866. Her parents were Wilbur Riley and Sarah Ellen Gillilan Peet, both of

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective, to refer to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor. ...

descent. Her mother was a native of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

and her father was born in Iowa Territory. She was educated in the public schools and in the Epworth Seminary in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

Career

For seven years after graduating, she taught in the public schools. Berry was one of the leading patriotic women of Iowa. She held almost every local office and state office in the Woman's Relief Corps, an auxiliary to the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. She served this organization as the National President in 1909–1910, with a membership of 167,000. Later, she became a member of the committee on revision of national law and was president of "The Past Department President's Association." She was a charter member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

, and served as regent of Ashley Chapter. She was for three years president of the

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

Woman's Club and was chair of several of its departments. She served the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs as corresponding secretary and as chair of several state committees. Berry was a member of the local Library Art Association, and the local

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

She was a prominent factor in securing the passage of a law for the appointment of a woman factory inspector to better labor conditions. She contributed many articles to patriotic publications and promoted patriotic education in Iowa.

Personal life

On July 7, 1887, at

Troy Mills, Iowa Troy Mills is an unincorporated community in northern Linn County, Iowa, United States. It lies along local roads north of the city of Cedar Rapids, the county seat of Linn County. Its elevation is 869 feet (265 m). Although Troy Mills ...

, she married John Alexander Berry. In religion, Berry was a Presbyterian; she was also a member of the Home Missionary and the Chapel Society connected with it. In politics, she was a Republican. Berry favored woman suffrage. Jennie Iowa Berry died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

on December 18, 1951.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Jennie Iowa 1866 births 1951 deaths Woman's Relief Corps National Presidents Daughters of the American Revolution people Clubwomen People from Jones County, Iowa Presbyterians from Iowa