Berry, Walter, 1859-1927

Walter Van Rensselaer Berry was born to Nathaniel and Catherine (nee Van Rensselaer) Berry in July, 1859 in Paris, France. The Berrys lived a few years in Paris, then returned to Albany, New York. Berry graduated from Harvard in 1881; he began studying law in 1883, and opened a law office specializing in international law in Washington, D.C. in 1885. From 1908 to 1911 he was a judge at the International Tribunal in Cairo, Egypt, but resigned due to poor health. From 1916 to 1923 he was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Although a life-long bachelor, Walter Berry was a companion of many writers and artists, including Marcel Proust and Caresse and Harry Crosby. He had an especially close friendship with American novelist Edith Wharton. Suffering from poor health all his life, Berry died October 12, 1927.

From the description of Walter Berry photograph collection, 1880-1929. (Southern Illinois University). WorldCat record id: 320463672

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