Perris, Frederick Thomas, 1837-1916

Fred Thomas Perris (1836-1916) grew up in England and Australia and joined the Mormon colony at San Bernardino, California, as a teenager. In 1863 he was hired to survey land near what is now Perris, Idaho. This helped get him a position as a surveyor for the transcontinental railroad, a job he lost in a labor dispute with Brigham Young. Perris worked at a variety of odd jobs before helping to found the Liberal Party of Utah and the Salt Lake Tribune. In 1874 he returned to San Bernardino, and was hired as surveyor of San Bernardino County. He later worked as Chief Engineer on the California Southern Railroad (later the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway). The city of Perris, California, is named for him.

From the description of Letterbook, 1867-1868. (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 772470159