James R. Perry was born on January 3, 1950 in Southington, CT. After attending local schools, he did undergraduate work in history at the University of Connecticut, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1972. He received a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins University and earned a MA in history in 1974, and a Ph.D. in 1980. His dissertation was entitled "The Formation of a Society on Virginia's Eastern Shore, 1615-1655." From 1980 to 1985 Mr. Perry served as co-editor of the first three volumes of "The Documentary History of the Supreme Court of the United States, 1789-1800" and in 1987 took a job as a writer-editor at the General Accounting Office in Washington, DC. He died of AIDS related causes on October 16, 1990.
From the description of James R. Perry papers, 1956-1990, 1972-1990 (bulk). (New York State Historical Documents). WorldCat record id: 155407871
