Albert Seaton Berry
The Kentucky Post, Monday, January 6, 1908, page 5
Judge Berry Is Ill With Pneumonia
Slight Cold Contracted in Louisville Threatens Newport Jurist's Life
Bulletin: At 1 o'clock today Judge berry was reported in an extremely low condition. Alarming reports were current in Newport concerning the condition of Judge A S Berry of the Campbell Circuit Court. Judge Berry has been ill ever since his return from Louisville last week, when he attended a banquet New Year's Day, given to the Circuit Judges of the State. His condition was not considered serious until last night when he took a decided change for the worse.
Symptoms of pneumonia developed, and two physicians, together with his don, Dr. Shaler Berry, remained with him throughout the night. The reports this morning on the street were to the affect that Judge Berry had passed a very bad night, and that his life was despaired of. Reports from the attending physician, however, were of a more hopeful nature, and were to the effect that his condition today was improved.
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The Kentucky Post, Tuesday, January 7, 1908, page 5
Judge A S Berry Dies After a Brief
Illness
Newport Jurist was one of the Most Noted Men in Public Life in Kentucky
Served in Many Positions of Trust, From Member of City Council to Congressman
Scramble Already On as to His Successor
Death claimed Albert S Berry, Judge of Campbell Circuit Court at 12:15 this morning after a brief illness of pneumonia. All day yesterday the judge hovered between life and death and physicians were with him constantly until the end came. Later yesterday his lungs became congested with blood and an operation was performed to remove it. He did not rally and died without gaining consciousness.
His illness was the result of a cold contracted at a banquet of the Circuit Judges of Kentucky held Monday a week ago at Louisville. He returned to Newport last Thursday evening, and took a short drive the day following. When he returned home he complained of feeling ill and went to bed. Saturday he continued to grow worse and Dr. Holt, who accompanied him from Louisville diagnosed his ailment as pneumonia.
Judge Berry was one of the best known men in public life in Kentucky and when he made his first race for Congress he gained the sobriquet of "The Tall Sycamore of the Licking". Of commanding presence , he was easily the tallest man in Congress during the six years he represented the Sixth District there. He was nearly 6 feet 5 inches in height and of magnificent physique. He was born in Jamestown, now Dayton, Ky. in 1835. He graduated from Miami University at Oxford, O. in 1856 and read law in the Cincinnati Law School, graduating from there in 1857. He served as County Superintendent of Schools in 1859, and was elected City Attorney of Newport in 1861. When the Civil War broke out he cast his fortunes with the Confederacy and served during the war as a Lieutenant of marines.
At the close of the war he returned to Newport and commenced an active political career that has ever since continued. During the years between the close of the war and 1885 he served his constituency successively as member of County and in the Legislature. He was three times elected Mayo of Newport and twice elected a member of the State Senator. But his political ambitions were not to be thus easily satisfied, and in 1892 he became a candidate for Congress, defeating Weden Oneal. In 1894 he was victorious over T B Mathews, and in 1896 Richard P Ernst, the regular Republican candidate, went down in defeat before the "Tall Poplar"
Again in 1898 the banner of Democracy was carried to victory by Judge Berry and then the tide turned, for in 1900D Linn Gooch defeated both Col. Berry and J L Rhinock, the present Congressman for the Democratic nomination in a hotly contested primary. In 1902 Judge Berry dropped out of the race, Gooch being elected and for the last two terms Rhinock was successful. While in Congress Judge Berry was a commanding figure on the floor of the House and made some famous speeches, probably his most famous being the one in which he got after Kaiser Wilhelm with a sharp stick.
His father was Major James Taylor Berry and he married Miss Anna Shaler. Judge Berry has five children: Mrs. Alice Nunn of Portland, Ore.; Miss Alice Berry, Dr. Shaler Berry, Albert Berry Jr. and Ensign Robert Berry, who is at present with his ship, the battleship Colorado, at Magdalena Bay, awaiting the arrival of Admiral Evans' squadron. Both he and Mrs. Nunn have been notified of the death of father. Mrs. Nunn will arrive in Newport Thursday.
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The Kentucky Post, Friday, January 10, 1908, page 5
Mrs. Alice Nunn, daughter of Judge A S Berry, arrived here
last night just one day too late in to attend the funeral of her father.
Mrs. Nunn came from her home in Portland, Ore. Mrs. Berry, widow of the
late jurist is prostrated at her home.