Thomas Matthew Berry (April 23, 1879 – October 30, 1951) was the 14th

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. Berry, 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 ...

from Belvidere, South Dakota, served from 1933 to 1937. He is noted for defeating two incumbent Democratic United States senators in the state Democratic primary and then losing the seat to the Republicans in the general election.

Biography

Berry was born in

Paddock, Holt County, Nebraska Paddock is an unincorporated community in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. History A post office was established at Paddock in the 1870s. It was named for Algernon Paddock Algernon Sidney Paddock (November 9, 1830October 17, 1897) was an ...

, and attended public school in

O'Neill, Nebraska O'Neill is a city in Holt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 3,705 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Holt County. History O'Neill was platted in 1874. It was named for one of its founders, John O'Neill. O'Neill was ...

. He was married to Lorena McLain and they had four children.

Career

Berry moved to South Dakota in 1897. He homesteaded in Gregory County, moved to Todd County, and finally settled in Mellette County south of Belvidere. He built up a 30,000 acre (120 km²) ranch raising Hereford cattle and saddle horses. Berry served in the House of Representatives of the

South Dakota Legislature The South Dakota State Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of South Dakota. It is a bicameral legislative body, consisting of the South Dakota Senate, which has 35 members, and the South Dakota House of Representatives, whic ...

from 1925 to 1931, and was a member of the Custer State Park Board. Elected governor twice, in 1932 and 1934, Berry assisted in South Dakota's recovery from the Great Depression. As Governor, he acted as Federal Relief Administrator and helped secure federal aid. He called the legislature into special session to legalize 3.2 percent beer and again to enact unemployment insurance. During his tenure, state property tax was abolished, replaced by gross income tax which was replaced by a state sales tax. Berry ran for a third term in 1936 but was defeated by Leslie Jensen. In

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

, he defeated interim United States Senator

Herbert Hitchcock Herbert Emery Hitchcock (August 22, 1867 - February 17, 1958) was a United States senator from South Dakota. Life Hitchcock was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, the son of Harriet M. Lumley and Milando Lansing Hitchcock. He attended public schools in I ...

in the Democratic primary, but lost the general election to

Chan Gurney John Chandler "Chan" Gurney (May 21, 1896March 9, 1985) was an American businessman and politician from South Dakota. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from 1939 to 1951. Early life Gurney was born in Yankton, S ...

. In

1942 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in wh ...

, Berry defeated incumbent United States Senator

William J. Bulow William John Bulow (January 13, 1869February 26, 1960) was an American politician and lawyer. He was the first Democratic Governor of South Dakota, serving from 1927 to 1931. He received the highest number of votes of any Democratic candidate f ...

in the Democratic primary but lost the general election to Harlan J. Bushfield. That defeat ended his political career. From 1942 to 1947 he served as director of the Farm Credit Administration in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. In 1962, he was inducted into

Hall of Great Westerners The Hall of Great Westerners was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1958. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of more than 200 men and women of the American W ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

Death

He retired to

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

, where he lived until his death.''Biographical Directory of the South Dakota Legislature, 1889-1989'' (1989), p. 91.

References

External links

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berry, Tom 1879 births 1951 deaths Democratic Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of South Dakota People from Mellette County, South Dakota People from Holt County, Nebraska People from Rapid City, South Dakota Ranchers from South Dakota