Virgil Edward "Red" Berry (February 27, 1899 – November 24, 1969) was a

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

politician who represented

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in both the

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and the

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in the 1960s. He was also widely known for his involvement in

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

in the San Antonio area throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Biography

Berry was born 27 February 1899 near Fort Smith,

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, one of 13 children. As a young man, he worked as an office clerk in Fort Smith, and, later, for the

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as a machinist apprentice. In

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, he served in the 60th Railway Transportation Corps in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

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. He was later stationed at

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...

in San Antonio as an MP. In this capacity he patrolled downtown San Antonio streets for wayward soldiers. After his departure from the Army, Berry returned to San Antonio in 1929. With his knowledge of San Antonio's seamier side, he entered the gambling business. He opened the elegant Turf Club in 1934 on Soledad Street. He was convicted for shooting Otto "Skeeter" Klaus—a bootlegger and murderer—with a

sawed-off shotgun A sawed-off shotgun (also called a sawn-off shotgun, short-barreled shotgun, shorty or a boom stick) is a type of shotgun with a shorter gun barrel—typically under —and often a shortened or absent stock. Despite the colloquial term, ...

. The verdict was appealed, but no retrial ever took place, sparing Berry jail time. The Turf Club was raided by the Texas Rangers in October 1944, but the club remained open. Berry was considered the prime suspect in the 1945 shotgun-blast murder of another San Antonio gambling kingpin, Hersel Gray, but was never indicted. He was indicted two other times for murder, but never convicted. By the time the Turf Club finally closed in 1957, Berry had moved his gambling operations twice. The first move was to the nearby town of La Vernia, Texas. While his gambling interests were based there, Berry won—in a game of Pitch—title to an tract of land southeast of Fort Sam Houston. In 1951, he constructed a house in the style of a French chateau that included a full basement, where he subsequently moved his casino. A police raid in 1955 confiscated his gambling equipment and closed down the operation. In 1960, with the dual goals of gaining respectability for himself and pushing for the legalization of parimutuel wagering on horse-racing in Texas, Berry won the

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primary for District 68, Place 4, in the Texas House of Representatives. In the general election, the 61-year-old Berry faced off against 29-year-old

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 ...

Henry Catto, son of a prominent insurance man in San Antonio. During the campaign, which included a televised debate, Berry referred to Catto as "kiddo" and "fat cat Catto". In the heavily Democratic Texas of the era, Berry won the election with 54 percent of the vote. After serving his freshman term in the Texas House in the 57th Legislature, Berry was re-elected to the 58th and the 59th Legislatures. When

Walter Richter Walter Richter (May 13, 1905 – July 26, 1985) was a German actor. From 1970 until 1982 he starred in the Norddeutscher Rundfunk version of the popular television crime series ''Tatort''. Selected filmography * '' The Citadel of Warsaw' ...

did not seek re-election to his Texas Senate seat, Berry successfully ran for the

District 19 A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

seat in 1966. Berry was re-elected in 1968. While still a sitting senator, Berry succumbed to cancer on 24 November 1969 in San Antonio. Berry was married to the former Lydia Josephine Galloway. They had a son, Duke Edward Berry, in 1938.

References

External links

The Red Berry Mansion on the Lake
the official website of Berry's chateau-style home/gambling club. {{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Red 1899 births 1969 deaths Members of the Texas House of Representatives Texas state senators Politicians from San Antonio Politicians from Fort Smith, Arkansas United States Army personnel of World War I American gamblers 20th-century American politicians People charged with murder American military police officers