George L. Berry
Encyclopedia
George Leonard Berry was president
of the International Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America from 1907 to 1948 and a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee
from 1937 to 1938.
, near Rogersville
. He left home at a very early age, becoming a pressman's assistant in 1891. He worked in this trade and was a labor union activist, being elected president
of its international union in 1907.
resort
in East Tennessee
not far from Berry's boyhood home, as a sanatorium
for its members suffering from "consumption" (tuberculosis
), a common ailment of its members in that era, a residential trade school for its members to learn more advanced trades and increase their income, and as its international headquarters.
Berry had learned of its availability during a visit to his home area in conjunction with a search of the relatively nearby Asheville, North Carolina
area, then renowned for its supposed curative properties with regard to respiratory disease. This facility became known as the Pressmen's Home. It was designed to be largely self-sufficient, and one point had a large agricultural
operation, and, prior to the coming of the Tennessee Valley Authority
, its own hydroelectric power plant.
, Berry participated in the American Expeditionary Force with the rank of major
, serving overseas 1918-1919, and then returned home to resume active leadership of his union. He was frequently a delegate to many national and international labor meetings and congresses. On May 6, 1937, he was appointed to the United States Senate by governor of Tennessee Gordon Browning
to serve in the place of Nathan L. Bachman
, who had died in office.
Turning the day-to-day operation of the union over to others, Berry moved to Washington, D.C.
to attend to his senatorial duties. Berry apparently enjoyed being a Senator well enough to desire election in his own right, and ran a campaign seeking the nomination to the balance of the term in the August, 1938 Democratic primary
.
However, the people of Tennessee were apparently more interested having the sort of Senator more traditionally associated with the Democratic Party's Southern conservative
wing than a labor activist, and Berry was defeated for the nomination by attorney
Tom Stewart
. Governor Browning, who had appointed him to the Senate, was defeated for renomination by Prentice Cooper
in the same primary.
Some political historians feel that these defeats can be almost entirely attributed to the influence of the Memphis-based
political machine of E. H. Crump
.) Berry's service as a Senator ended on November 8, 1938, when the votes in the general election
indicating Stewart's election were tallied, even though Stewart did not actually take the seat until early the next year.
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the International Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America from 1907 to 1948 and a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1937 to 1938.
Early life
Berry was born in Hawkins County, TennesseeHawkins County, Tennessee
Hawkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 56,833. Its county seat is Rogersville, Tennessee's second-oldest town....
, near Rogersville
Rogersville, Tennessee
Rogersville is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett and is the second-oldest town in the state. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers....
. He left home at a very early age, becoming a pressman's assistant in 1891. He worked in this trade and was a labor union activist, being elected president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of its international union in 1907.
Pressmen's Home
During his tenure, the Pressmen's Union acquired and operated the former Hale Springs Resort, a mineral waterMineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
in East Tennessee
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
not far from Berry's boyhood home, as a sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
for its members suffering from "consumption" (tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
), a common ailment of its members in that era, a residential trade school for its members to learn more advanced trades and increase their income, and as its international headquarters.
Berry had learned of its availability during a visit to his home area in conjunction with a search of the relatively nearby Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
area, then renowned for its supposed curative properties with regard to respiratory disease. This facility became known as the Pressmen's Home. It was designed to be largely self-sufficient, and one point had a large agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
operation, and, prior to the coming of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
, its own hydroelectric power plant.
Political experience
In World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Berry participated in the American Expeditionary Force with the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, serving overseas 1918-1919, and then returned home to resume active leadership of his union. He was frequently a delegate to many national and international labor meetings and congresses. On May 6, 1937, he was appointed to the United States Senate by governor of Tennessee Gordon Browning
Gordon Browning
Gordon Weaver Browning was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States Congress and was later Governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1949 to 1953.-Biography:...
to serve in the place of Nathan L. Bachman
Nathan L. Bachman
Nathan Lynn Bachman was a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1933 until his death. He was a member of the Democratic Party.- Biography :Bachman was born in East Tennessee...
, who had died in office.
Turning the day-to-day operation of the union over to others, Berry moved to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to attend to his senatorial duties. Berry apparently enjoyed being a Senator well enough to desire election in his own right, and ran a campaign seeking the nomination to the balance of the term in the August, 1938 Democratic primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
.
However, the people of Tennessee were apparently more interested having the sort of Senator more traditionally associated with the Democratic Party's Southern conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
wing than a labor activist, and Berry was defeated for the nomination by attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
Tom Stewart
Tom Stewart
Arthur Thomas Stewart , more commonly known as Tom Stewart, was a Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1939 to 1949.-Early life and education:...
. Governor Browning, who had appointed him to the Senate, was defeated for renomination by Prentice Cooper
Prentice Cooper
William Prentice Cooper was an American politician and Governor of Tennessee from 1939 to 1945.-Life and career:A native of Bedford County, Tennessee, he attended Vanderbilt University and then Harvard University...
in the same primary.
Some political historians feel that these defeats can be almost entirely attributed to the influence of the Memphis-based
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
political machine of E. H. Crump
E. H. Crump
Edward Hull "Boss" Crump was an American politician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was mayor from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.-Career:...
.) Berry's service as a Senator ended on November 8, 1938, when the votes in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
indicating Stewart's election were tallied, even though Stewart did not actually take the seat until early the next year.
Death
Berry returned to day-to-day operation of the union and his interests, including agriculture, around the Pressmen's Home until his death. (The union continued to operate the facility for several years after Berry's death.) He was interred at Pressmen's Home but his body was later moved to Roger's Cemetery in nearby Rogersville.See also
- Pressmen's HomePressmen's HomePressmen's Home was the headquarters for the International Printing Pressmen and Assistants Union of North America from 1911-67. The facilities provided on the Union's campus, in Hawkins County, Tennessee near Rogersville, included a trade school, a sanitarium, a retirement home, a hotel, a post...
- Rogersville, TennesseeRogersville, TennesseeRogersville is a town in Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States. It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett and is the second-oldest town in the state. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers....
- United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...