Banker, educator, and abolitionist
| When Burke met | 1811 |
| Where Burke met | Westerly, RI |
| Occupation | Commerce |
| Interaction with Burke | Burke stayed with him |
| Identity Status | Confirmed |
| Genealogy | Wikitree |
| Memoir Pages | 80 |
Notes
Thomas Perry (1776–1826) was a Rhode Island banker, educator, and abolitionist. Born on December 7, 1776, in Charlestown to Simeon and Anne (Hoxsie) Perry, he initially worked as a local schoolteacher. Around 1805 to 1806, he relocated to Westerly to serve as cashier of the Washington Bank, a position he held until his death on March 26, 1826. This appointment initiated a multi-generational family tenure as officers of the institution. He married Elizabeth Foster in 1808, and their children included Charles, who succeeded him as bank cashier, and Thomas, a silversmith and future bank president. A cousin of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, he was a committed abolitionist who sheltered fugitive slaves and hosted anti-slavery figures such as William Lloyd Garrison. Additionally, Perry produced and edited a local paper, the Bung Town Patriot, in 1825.
Sources
Burke, William. Memoir of William Burke: A Soldier of the Revolution, Reformed from Intemperance, and for Many Years a Consistent and Devoted Christian; Carefully Prepared from a Journal Kept by Himself; to Which Is Added, an Extract from a Sermon Preached at His Funeral, by Rev. Nathaniel Miner. Hartford, CT: Case, Tiffany, 1837.